Introduction to Meditation

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a mental practice that involves focusing your attention and eliminating distractions to achieve a state of mental clarity, emotional calm, and self-awareness.

The practice of meditation is far from new - it’s been part of human history for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence from India reveals the use of meditation as early as 5,000 years ago.  Some researchers even believe early hunter-gatherers may have entered meditative states naturally while staring into firelight, discovering altered states of consciousness long before formal practices were established.

Meditation began to gain mainstream popularity in the West during the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and ’70s, researchers started to explore its effects scientifically, uncovering a wide range of mental and physical health benefits.

The 3 Core Elements of Meditation

• Focus: On the breath, a mantra, body sensations, or a specific thought

• Awareness: Observing your thoughts and feelings without judgment

• Stillness: Physical and mental quietness

Benefits

At its core, meditation is a simple yet powerful practice that supports mental, physical, and emotional balance. Best of all, you can do it anywhere. Whether you choose to sit quietly at home, join a local meditation group, or practice while commuting, the benefits are accessible to everyone.

• Reduces stress and anxiety

• Improves focus and concentration

• Enhances emotional health

• Promotes better sleep

• May lower blood pressure and improve heart health

• Rewires your brain

Myths

There are several common myths and misconceptions.

Myth 1: You have to completely empty your mind

Truth: The goal isn’t to stop thinking altogether - thoughts will come and go. Meditation is about not getting caught up in those thoughts and gently returning your focus (e.g., to your breath or a mantra).

Myth 2: Meditation is only for religious or spiritual people

Truth: While meditation has spiritual roots in traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, it's widely practised today in secular contexts for its mental and physical health benefits. You don't need to follow a specific religion or philosophy to meditate.

Myth 3: You need to sit in a lotus position for hours

Truth: You can meditate sitting in a chair, lying down, walking, or even standing. The key is to be comfortable and alert - not the posture itself.

Myth 4: Meditation is about feeling good all the time

Truth: Meditation doesn’t always lead to immediate calm or bliss. Sometimes it brings up uncomfortable emotions or thoughts, which is part of the process of developing awareness and acceptance.

Myth 5: You have to meditate for a long time for it to work

Truth: Even just 2–5 minutes of daily practice can be beneficial. Consistency matters more than duration.

Myth 6: You must be “good at it” to benefit

Truth: There's no such thing as being good or bad at meditation. Struggling with focus or feeling restless is part of the experience. Like any skill, it gets easier with practice.

Myth 7: Meditation is a quick fix

Truth: While some people feel immediate benefits, for most, meditation is a long-term practice that builds mental resilience, clarity, and emotional regulation over time.

How long do you need to meditate?

There’s a saying: If you’re too busy to meditate for 10 minutes, then you need to meditate for 20. But in truth, even two minutes a day can make a difference. Starting small with a consistent habit is often the best way to build a lasting practice - and experience its full benefits over time.

Different ways to meditate

1. Mindfulness Meditation: Paying attention to the present moment without judgment.

2. Focused Attention Meditation: Concentrating on a single object, thought, or sound (like a candle flame or a mantra).

3. Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta): Cultivating compassion and goodwill toward yourself and others.

4. Body Scan Meditation: Progressively focusing on different parts of the body.

5. Transcendental Meditation: Using a specific mantra repeated silently to settle the mind.

6. Journey meditation  - guided visualisation: Is a form of meditation that involves visualising a mental or spiritual journey - often to gain insight, healing, or connection with deeper aspects of the self. It encourages the mind to actively explore inner realms—like forests, mountains, or temples—often with a purpose or intention.

How I Facilitate and Why

1. Mindfulness Meditation: Paying attention to the present moment without judgment.

Why: To bring you into a state of calmness and focus. To get your brain waves down from Beta to Alpha

2. Body Scan Meditation: Progressively focusing on different parts of the body.

Why: To relax your body and bring you inner peace. To stop the monkey mind by bringing you down from Alpha into Theta

3. Journey meditation  - guided visualisation

Why: To bring you into awareness with ‘self’. Your intuition and your inner guidance system. To heal, physically, mentally and emotionally.

·         Therapeutic (to heal trauma, meet an inner child, or release fears)

·         Spiritual (to connect with guides, ancestors, or your "higher self")

·         Creative (to access intuition or receive inspiration)

What Happens in Your Brain When You Meditate?

This is where it gets fascinating.

Thanks to MRI technology, scientists now have a much clearer picture of what happens in the brain during meditation. On a basic level, the brain shifts out of its usual thinking mode - beta wave activity. During meditation, these waves significantly slow down, and this change is clearly visible on an MRI scan.

Even if you’re new to meditation or feel like you “didn’t do it right,” a single 20-minute session can slow brain activity enough to be detectable on a scan.

In the image below, you can see this in action: the left side shows high beta wave activity (bright colours) before meditation, while the right side shows a dramatic reduction during meditation.

So, what is happening?

How Meditation Reshapes the Brain

Modern neuroscience has revealed fascinating insights into how meditation affects the brain- and the effects go far beyond relaxation.

Frontal Lobe

This is the most evolved region of the brain, responsible for reasoning, planning, emotions, and self-awareness. During meditation, activity in the frontal cortex slows or even temporarily switches off, allowing the mind to disengage from constant thinking and planning.

Parietal Lobe

The parietal lobe processes sensory information and helps us orient ourselves in time and space. Meditation reduces activity here, softening our awareness of the external world and creating a deeper sense of internal focus.

Thalamus

Acting as the brain’s sensory gatekeeper, the thalamus filters incoming data. During meditation, this filtering process slows dramatically, decreasing the flow of information and enhancing mental stillness.

Reticular Formation

This structure helps the brain stay alert by receiving sensory input and priming us to react. Meditation dials down this arousal response, shifting the brain into a more restful and less reactive state.

Meditation Changes the Brain Over Time

The most compelling discovery is that with consistent practice, these changes don't just occur during meditation - they start to persist throughout the day, even when you're not meditating.

It's as if your brain learns how to stay calm, grounded, and clear amid everyday challenges.

Some call this “inner peace.” It doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s a powerful, lasting transformation.

The “Me Centre” and Anxiety

Meditation also helps rewire the brain’s emotional response system. One key area affected is the medial prefrontal cortex, sometimes referred to as the “Me Centre” because it processes information related to ourselves and our personal experiences.

Without meditation, the neural pathways between the Me Centre and the brain’s fear and sensation centres (like the amygdala) are typically strong. That’s why uncomfortable sensations - like pain or fear - can feel personal and overwhelming. For instance, a small ache can trigger anxiety by lighting up the Me Centre with stories like “something’s wrong with me.”

Meditation weakens this reactive connection, allowing us to observe sensations without becoming emotionally entangled in them.

At the same time, it strengthens the link between the fear centres and the brain’s rational “Assessment Centre” (in the prefrontal cortex), which helps us respond to distress more thoughtfully and less impulsively.

Empathy, Compassion, and the Emotional Brain

Regular meditation also boosts empathy and compassion. In one study, participants were shown emotionally charged images - both positive and negative - while practising compassion meditation. Even when not meditating, these individuals displayed greater control over their emotional responses and higher levels of compassion, especially when viewing distressing images.

This shift is partially attributed to the amygdala, the brain’s emotional processing hub. While meditation usually calms the amygdala, it becomes more selectively responsive when practitioners encounter suffering - indicating a balanced, thoughtful response rather than emotional shutdown.

A 2008 study further showed that people who meditate regularly exhibit increased activation in the temporal parietal junction, a brain region strongly associated with empathy. When they heard sounds of people in pain, their brains responded more deeply than those of non-meditators.

In Summary

Meditation does not just relax you - it rewires your brain. It quiets mental chatter, reduces emotional reactivity, boosts empathy, and reshapes how you respond to stress and discomfort.

Over time, this leads to a calmer, more compassionate, and resilient way of being.