There are many scientifically proven benefits to meditation, and new research is emerging daily. Overall, mindfulness meditation has been shown to change the structure and function of brain regions involved in the regulation of attention, emotion, and awareness. Researchers from Harvard Medical School found that a mindfulness program led to changes in grey matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning memory, emotion regulation, and perspective taking, which was also associated with decreased perceptions of stress.

Studies also show that practicing mindfulness and meditation improves our ability to sustain attention. Even in high stress work environments, research from the University of Washington found that people who were trained in meditation were able to stay on a task longer, which resulted in less negative feedback after task performance.

According to a study from the University of California, participants who trained in mindfulness meditation displayed greater reductions in stress-related symptoms, and reported increases in their sense of control in their lives than those who did not. Mindfulness has also been linked to reductions in psychological distress and anxiety among highly stressed students and healthcare professionals. Importantly, mindfulness meditation can also produce a 30% reduction in symptoms of stress among those with a serious illness.

Read more on our blog here: http://blog.simplehabit.com/2017/03/06/the-scientific-benefits-of-mindfulness-and-meditation/