How Mindfulness Changes the Brain and How to Start Meditating With No Experience

The good news is that mindfulness doesn’t just feel good emotionally. Research has consistently shown that mindfulness meditation comes with numerous physical and emotional health benefits. We’ll review these in this article and also outline how you can start integrating a mindfulness practice into your life. 

How Mindfulness Affects Your Brain 

The heart of any mindfulness is being tuned into the present moment. This means paying attention to what’s happening in the here and now, including any thoughts, physical sensations, or other sensory input. There’s no “wrong” way to be mindful, and you can engage in mindfulness exercises at any point in your daily life. 

Research shows mindfulness can impact the brain by:

Improves emotional regulation: Mindfulness may improve the connection between your brain’s prefrontal cortex (the region associated with decision-making) and the amygdala (the region associated with fear). This strengthened connection supports better emotion processing, which can cultivate strengthened emotion regulation⁽¹⁾

Improves concentration: Studies show that we’re distracted by our own thoughts about 47% of the time⁽²⁾. Mindfulness is a form of focused attention, and controlled studies show that practicing it consistently may strengthen your ability to focus and concentrate on other tasks. 

Promoting more stress reduction: Mindfulness may decrease the amygdala’s reactivity, helping you better identify and cope with stress without feeling dysregulated by it. This can be especially helpful if you experience anxiety, depression, or trauma symptoms, and is the core basis of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MSBR), a secular program designed by Jon Kabat-Zinn for addressing anxiety, depression, and chronic illness⁽³⁾. 

Reducing perception of chronic pain: Recent meta-analyses focused on patients with chronic pain showed that mindfulness meditation may yield smaller decreases in subjective pain responses⁽⁴⁾. This may speak to meditation affecting cortisol level, the hormone responsible for releasing stress and exacerbating pain. 

Stimulating brain matter changes: Research shows that people who engage in a regular meditation practice can structurally change gray matter. Gray matter is kind of tissue that supports processing information within the brain. It’s believed that this tissue facilitates many necessary functions associated with sensory perception, self-control, decision-making, and emotions⁽⁵⁾. 

Embracing Mindfulness in Everyday Life

No matter where you are in your mindfulness journey, embracing more of the present moment can help you feel more regulated, engaged, and connected. 

If you don’t have any mindfulness training, remember that you can incorporate mindfulness into every part of your ordinary routine. You don’t need anything to get started. You just need to hold onto your awareness and bring more focus into your day! This increased focus on simply being present can also make the routine parts of life feel a little more special. 

Mindful listening: Actively listening to other people shows respect and can truly deepen your relationships. To do this, aim to give the speaker your full attention and be curious about their experiences and feelings. If you don’t understand something, clarify instead of assume. If you find yourself getting distracted or wanting to speak prematurely, pause and internally note that urge before tuning back to the other person. 

Mindful eating: If you’re like most people, you probably eat food quickly and without really taking in the sensations or textures. Mindfully eating encourages you to absorb the inherent pleasure associated with food. To do this, aim to slow down and acknowledge how the food feels as you eat it. Note any specific tastes or smells you particularly enjoy and pay attention to how your satiety changes through the course of the meal. 

Mindful physical activity: You can apply mindfulness-based practices to your everyday workout. The next time you exercise, focus on how your body feels. Feel the muscle groups as they’re being activated. Breathe and pay attention to how your breath supports your physical health. If you note any discomfort, simply acknowledge it without judgment.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: MCBT is a specific type of therapy that integrates cognitive-behavioral therapy with mindfulness meditation. Therapists use this modality to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance use. 

How to Start Meditating 

Mindfulness refers to being in a deliberate state of awareness. It’s an umbrella term that captures anything related to being in the present moment.

Meditation, on the other hand, is more of a formal practice intended to cultivate mindfulness, self-acceptance, relaxation, and inner peace. If you want to start meditating, you can start by trying guided meditations, or you can use this simple step-by-step practice.

1. Find a quiet space and get comfortable: Choose somewhere with limited to no distractions and choose a comfortable position, such as sitting or lying down. 
2. Set a short timer: If you’re new to mindful meditation, consider starting your practice with just 2 minutes. Over time, you can build upon this time. For now, focus on making it manageable and obtainable.
3. Start by focusing on your breath: Take a few deep breaths where you inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Try to simply note the physical sensation of air entering your body and leaving it. 
4. Gently notice and redirect your thoughts: Mindfulness isn’t about emulating a sense of blankness. It’s normal to feel distracted by different thoughts or desires. When these come up, notice them and then gently aim to redirect the focus back onto your breathing. This moving-in-and-out is itso own form of staying connected to the present moment. 
5. Note any physical sensations: Throughout your mindful meditation, you may notice how and where your body holds onto tension, pain, or even relaxation. You can practice breathing into these regions and giving them a sense of spaciousness.
6. Reflect on your meditation experience and set your intention: When you finish meditating, briefly note what you want to take from your practice into your daily life. Maybe it’s a word like calm or a body sensation like relaxed. Or maybe you just want to hold onto how good your breathing felt during that time. 

Final Thoughts

Building more mindfulness into your life can help you truly slow down and savor the here and now. This may promote greater connection to yourself and your relationships, and it can significantly improve your emotional well-being. 

That said, if mindfulness interventions feel challenging- or if it brings up a deeper awareness of negative feelings or physical discomfort- it may be worth seeking professional support. A therapist can help you integrate mindfulness-based approaches safely and in a way that’s best tailored to your unique needs. 

References

1. Wu, R. & Liu, Lin (2019). Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Emotion Processing. Frontiers in Neuroscience. Retrieved from: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.01074/full. 
2. Columbia SPCS School of Professional Studies (2021, May). How Meditation Can Help You Focus. Retrieved from: https://sps.columbia.edu/news/how-meditation-can-help-you-focus. 
3. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (2022, June). Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety. Retrieved from: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-effectiveness-and-safety. 
4. Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2016, September). National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5368208/. 
5. Brief Mindfulness Meditation Induces Gray Matter Changes in a Brain Hub (2020, November). Natinoal Library of Medicine. Retrieved from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7704181/.