Meditation can alter brain structure | Hacker News Reader

Meditation can alter brain structure

timesonline.co.uk

11 pointsnreece8 comments

I started meditation, along with yoga, just over a year ago and it has had a profound impact on my work and general well-being. I'm more productive, more focused and generally look on things with a 'happier' (if that sounds right) outlook. I didn't tell my male friends I was doing yoga at first just because of the amount of laughter it would generate, but now I've become a bit of a yoga/meditation evangelist. erm, can you tell?

Any tips to someone who just got interested enough to give it a try?

Sure. Read up a bit on the different types of yoga firstly (if you want to do this too - I'd strongly suggest it). I went for Hatha yoga which is very gentle and feels just like stretching and breathing first. The instructor started us off with basic breathing exercises first and then took us more into meditation. I now have an instructor who comes to my house and the 1-on-1 makes a big difference. It took some time to really "get it" (about 6 months) but once I did and I could see and feel the benefits it made me more passionate. Whatever you do, don't start yoga without an instructor - ie DVDs. They are a good tool but only (in my opinion) in conjunction with an instructor until you are more advanced. For meditation, I think you could start this without an instructor, though it would help to accelerate the learning. Finally, remember that there's no competition - you are doing it for you and as long as you improve thats the main thing. Feel free to contact me outside of here if you wish

I found Shiunzen Young (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzen_Young) to be a very good instructor. I've been to two of his retreats, and he does a great job of putting technical Buddhist terminology into Western terms. He used to teach Math and Religious studies at a J.C/University in Southern California, so he has a very approachable "western-academic" style.

A good source for Buddhist teachings is the KPFK archives (http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/). Search for "Something's Hapenning". Thursday Night is the night they usually play meditation and spiritual stuff. Be warned: some of it is really good, but a lot of it is extremely hokey.

Also, Sounds True (http://www.soundstrue.com/) has some really good teachers (as well a a few charlatans, too).

I don't have anything against meditation. I practice it with some regularity, but... This title is somewhat misleading. According to the article, a causal relationship between meditation and changed brain structure has been established, and I would love to see the study that established a correlation between persistent meditation and a thicker cortex in areas linked to perception.

It seems like more poorly researched science reporting from the Times.

There has been previous work in this area; see for example:

"Scans of Monks' Brains Show Meditation Alters Structure, Functioning", WSJ, 2004-11-05

http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/web/News/Meditation_Alters_Brai...

On the other hand, there is also some link between meditation and seizures:

"Bad Vibes- Warning: Meditating may be hazardous to your health" SFWeekly, 2002-08-28

http://www.sfweekly.com/content/printVersion/313883

Among the other things I'm doing right now, I actually have a book deal to write a book on yoga, that includes information on meditation and breath control along with the standard postures. It's going to be directed toward people who spend too much time in front of computers. My plan is to give them quick and easy ways to relax and reduce stress and hopefully open more people up to the benefits of yoga and meditation.

Sounds great! Would love to help out if you need anything. My contact info is in my profile

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