Is that a good title for a book, or what?  I was recommended this book by Andrew Newberg, M.D. by a wonderful woman,  Eugenia, who teaches meditation and yoga.  I was looking for a book to describe why Meditation is good for you in more scientific terms and this book is written by a neuroscientist so that’s pretty scary in itself!

The stories don’t disappoint, they are more focused on God and faith then I was expecting, which is odd, given the title!  But the experiments on non-religious subjects are fascinating – especially as they use one of my favourite chant meditations: sa-ta-na-ma as the test.  There are a whole ton of conclusions based on the results but the key ones that stood out for me (because they reinforce my own belief system – hehe) are:

With only 8 weeks of practice for 12 minutes a day they found:

1. An almost 50% improvement in memory function (the area the subject wanted to improve) as well as other brain functions that tend to deteriorate with age such as co-ordination, cognition.
2. Increased activity in the prefrontal cortex which helps focus, clarity and attention span.
3. Increased activity in the anterior cingulated that plays a major role in lowering anxiety, irritability, protecting against depression, as well as enhancing social awareness.

Reiki produces alpha state, meditative effects when done consistently over a period of time.  I find it easy to extrapolate that some of these benefits tally with what we are seeing for ourselves as we do Reiki.  Although, to my knowledge, no one has brain scanned Reiki practitioners, I would expect very similar results.  I can’t say my memory has improved, but I can definitely vouch for the other 2!

Even more stunning is that part of the brain is involved with developing our sense of self – yes folks, the Ego has a home!  This ego zone, or parietal lobe, reduces its activity with meditation thus helping us feel more connected, more in the ‘flow’ or ‘in the zone’.  Ie a lessening of self-consciousness enhances one’s intention, ability, and pleasure when faced with a task or goal we want to achieve.

Overtime this part of the brain shows more activity when we are not meditating which helps to increase consciousness, alertness and the ability to resonate with others’ feelings and thoughts.

Sounds good to me!

Reference: How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg, M.D and Mark Robert Waldman

Website: www.andrewnewberg.com