When it comes to doing something good for your cognitive health, skip the brain games and try meditation. Regular meditation has proven benefits for your brain, which can sharpen your memory, boost your mood, and even make you more compassionate.

Build Your Brain

A major health benefit of regular meditation is that it reduces stress, which prevents a lot of wear and tear on our bodies, as well as prevents damage to our brains. More importantly, studies show that meditation can actually grow, or increase the volume of, areas of the brain responsible for:

complex cognitive processes including planning, goal setting, decision making, attention, and short-term memory

positive mood

improving awareness of body, gut feeling, and empathy

long-term memory

paying attention (which is crucial to improving memory)

When you meditate, you are training your attention by tuning out the information overload and jumbled thoughts we live with constantlyand better attention means a sharper memory. Preliminary research seems to strengthen this theory, suggesting that mindfulness meditation may enhance certain brain functions, including working memory.

A Local Example

Residents of Splendido, an all-inclusive community in Tucson for those 55 and better, have the opportunity to take a weekly class led by a trained instructor who leads them through an hour-long meditation.

Florence Jaffe takes the class because she is familiar with research findings on meditation and brain health benefits. I try to practice on my own a few times during the week, she says. Ive noticed I have a little bit less stress.

Cathy White has lived at Splendido for nearly nine years and says, Theyve had several meditation classes while Ive been here, and Ive participated in all of them. I cant quantify the benefits the class has given me, but I know Ive benefitted.

She says that meditation helps with some of her symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Depression and anxiety are a couple of the psychological effects of MS, Cathy explains. I was never an anxious person before, but now I do have some anxiety. This class is sort of a lifeline in terms of connecting me to how I want to be. These emotional benefits carry over to days between classes.

Chuck Jonaitis has practiced spiritual meditation for many years, and enjoys the Splendido class as well. My wife and I try to attend every week when were not traveling, he says. I believe were getting [the brain benefits] from regular mediation.

Types of Meditation

Meditation is simple and takes as little as a few minutes a day. But rememberif you want to enjoy the brain benefits, youll need to meditate regularly, and ideally that means every day.

Here are a few types of meditation to consider:

Mindfulness sitting meditation is the most common form of meditation. Sit comfortably with your back, neck, and head straight but not stiff. Concentrate on your breathing and the sensations it creates. When your mind wanders or you become distracted, gently return your focus to your breath. Try this for just five minutes at first, gradually increasing the time.

Visualization meditation involves mental visualization of an image, which is usually meaningful or religious. While you meditate (as above), you try to mentally visualize your chosen image in as much detail as possible. As you do so, you may also reflect on the meaning of your image.

Walking meditation is similar to sitting meditation. Slowly and comfortably walk, focusing your attention on each step, the movement of your body, and the feel of each foot on the ground. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the movement of walking.

Loving-kindness meditation focuses on practicing compassion. As you practice cultivating feelings of loving kindness, gradually move your focus from feeling this toward yourself, then to loved ones, and then to people who are less close to you. The Splendido group occasionally adds a loving-kindness meditation. These meditations have changed my attitude toward other people, says Florence. I like that Im more objective, and not as judgmental.

Centering Prayer is a simple meditation that involves focusing for 20 minutes or longer on a word or a concept that has special meaning for you. The goal is to allow your mind to reflect on the qualities associated with your selected word or phrase.

Look for a local meditation class, or purchase audio recordings of guided meditations. Once youve mastered the basics of your chosen type of meditation, it will become a matter of practicingand enjoying the benefits that come with it.

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Aging Well: The Many Ways That Meditation Benefits Your Brain - Tucson Local Media