The goal of meditation is to calm the mind.

Evidence of the positive impacts of meditation continues to grow.

Recent studies underscore the value of a daily meditation practice.

When it comes to meditation, the more we learn, the more compelling the case for establishing a meditation practice becomes. A meditation practice essentially allows us, for a prescribed period of time, to turn our attention away from the outer world and focus inward, in silence. While there are many types of meditation, the goal of meditation is to calm the mind.

The scientifically proven benefits of meditation are many and varied. Mental health benefits include reduced stress, depression, and anxiety; improved attention, memory, and focus; and a greater sense of calm. Physical benefits include lower cortisol levels, which lead to improvements in heart rate and blood pressure, rest, and digestion, and pain reduction. What’s more, a meditation practice also enhances our ability to process emotions, enabling us to respond with compassion rather than react to challenging events and situations.

Recent Research on Meditation

Despite the thousands of research studies on the benefits of meditation, researchers continue to study its mechanisms, benefits, and effects on our physical and mental health. Two recently published research studies add to the compelling case for establishing a daily meditation practice.

A recently published international study led by Université de Montréal psychology professor and Canada Research Chair in Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroimaging, Karim Jerbi, PhD, examined the brains of 12 monks while engaged in meditation using advanced neuroimaging technology. They found that meditation produced a profound increase in the complexity of brain activity in these subjects. In a Université de Montréal UdeMnouvelles article........

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