There have been several scientific studies that have revealed that mindfulness meditation can actually change the structure of the brain ion a positive way. It is only now that we can more appreciate the positive benefits of meditation, since modern technology is allowing us to delve deep into the recesses of the mind.

Details Of Research

Here are some details of such research, and a simple explanation of how to perform mindfulness meditation.

In a study in the January 30 2011 issue of ‘Psychiatry Research’, results show that by participating in an 8 week mindfulness meditation program, significant changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress can be made.

Mindfulness meditation essentially involves focusing on your own inner mind, and tuning out or ignoring the world around you, whilst you focus on your inner mind. There are many different ways of achieving this, and I will show you one such method later in this article.

MR images were taken of the brain structure of 16 participants two weeks before and after they took part in an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. During the 8 weeks they received weekly meetings and had guided meditation audio sessions to take home with them. It was found that the participants spent an average of 27 minutes per day practicing mindfulness exercises.

The analysis of MR images after the 8 weeks found increased grey matter density in the hippocampus, which is important for learning and memory. It also revealed an increase in grey matter density in areas associated with self awareness, compassion and introspection. This shows that meditation literally improved the brain in almost every way.

Most subjects also reported reductions in stress. This was confirmed by the decrease of grey matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in stress and anxiety.

In 2007 researchers at the University of Pennsylvania also conducted a study on mindfulness meditation and they concluded that practicing even small amounts daily improves performance and the ability to focus attention.

Benefits Of Meditation

Therefore it would seem that science firmly points to mindful meditation helping our minds in many ways. Just these two studies showed improvements in learning, memory, self awareness, compassion, introspection, and a reduction in stress and anxiety. It is likely that further studies will reveal even more improvements, such as improved energy, sleep patterns, and even happiness.

This is why we owe it to ourselves to practice meditation. It is not difficult, and you do not need to be some sort of obsessed spiritual guru to benefit from meditation. I will show you one quick and simple method.

Meditation Method

In order to do mindfulness meditation, try these following steps.

1. Get your self seated in a comfortable position with good posture.
2. Focus on your breathing. Listen to the sounds of the air as it is breathed in, and as it flows out.
3. Any stray thought that comes into your mind, simply allow them to pass. Remind yourself that you are meditating and you can think about these things later. This is your time.
4. Continue to focus on your breathing and enjoy doing nothing. There is no right or wrong, so don’t judge yourself. By doing nothing you are actually achieving so much by improving your mind.
5. If you have any stray thoughts, simply remain calm and continue to focus on your breathing.

It is better to do this little and often. 10 minutes per session, once or twice per day if you can. After some practice you will be able to build this up to much longer periods of time.

Conclusion

It should quickly become apparent that your mind is improving, and you will feel calmer, happier, and more relaxed. It is also likely that you will experience improvements in other areas that I have not even mentioned in this article. For variety, you may soon wish to discover different methods of meditation. There is almost a limitless amount of different techniques to experiment with. With a little experience you can probably develop your own unique techniques, specifically tailored for yourself. Enjoy!

Jon Rhodes is a clinical hypnotherapist, musician, author, and meditator. He is owner and operator of the Meditation Den. If you want some help meditating, then please click here for details of our collection of Meditation Mp3s.

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Charisma can help you in many aspects of life.  It can help you win friends, be popular with the opposite sex, and even land that new exciting job.  There is almost nothing that charisma can’t help you achieve.  For some, it is very natural to be charismatic.  They just seem to have that ‘X-Factor’.  However it is comforting to know that charisma can also be developed.  Here are 4 top methods to help boost your charisma…

1. Have goals you are working towards

There are a lot more followers than leaders, so if you want to stand out then be a trailblazer.  There is nothing wrong with being a follower, but people are naturally drawn to leaders.  Set yourself goals to work to.  Have a sense of purpose and a vision – a big goal that you are working towards.  You may or may not succeed to meet your goal, or it might change over time, but if you always have one, people will naturally feel drawn to you as you present the possibility of an exciting future.

Don’t simply pretend to have a goal as people will quickly see through you and you will lose all credibility.  In any case it is far more satisfying to spend life attempting to meet realistic goals.

2. Love yourself

If you don’t like yourself, how do you expect others to like you?  Unconsciously you give out thousands of small subconscious clues on how you should be treated, and it all begins with treating yourself right.

You need to learn to appreciate that you are a unique and valuable human being.  Accept yourself as you are.  It’s fine to have some flaws.  You can work on improving them.  However it must be remembered that the most charismatic people on earth are the ones with flaws.  Someone who is perfect is not really all that interesting anyway.  People are drawn to people, not robots.  Be happy with who you are, wart and all.  Love yourself and others will soon follow suit.

3. Be honestly interested in others

You must have met many people who talk incessantly about themselves?  This may be OK at first, but after a while it becomes very tiresome and you just want to avoid them.

Charismatic people appreciate other people just as much as they appreciate themselves.  Relax and listen properly to what other people are saying.  Give them space to talk.  You will learn new things, and they will notice and appreciate that you actually listen to them.  The Chinese have a saying which is “You have two ears and one mouth – use them in that proportion.”

Some people struggle concentrating on listening to others, and become anxious that they may forget what they are thinking next.  This causes them to not listen properly to what the person was saying, as they struggle to remember what they want to say, then immediately respond to what they say with something totally irrelevant.  This will not win yu too many fans, and is irritating to the recipient.  Relax, allow that thought to disappear, and listen.  This thought will return if it is still relevant.  If it is so important, you will remember it again some time in the future.  With a little practice listening becomes much easier, and you will enjoy far more productive two way conversations.

4. Model someone who you consider very charismatic

Hypnotherapists and NLP practitioners often very successfully utilize this technique.

It could be a friend, a celebrity, or even a fictional character that you model.  You may wish to be like James Bond for example.  Don’t try and copy them exactly, just consider how they would act in the situations you face.  You have to sometimes be careful with this as it may not be appropriate to blow up the whole building up with your watch, or do a flying kick to the face a la Bruce Lee!  Get a ‘feel’ of a certain character, and how they work on the inside.  Try to catch their essence, rather than exactly cloning them.  Done with thought and care this can significantly raise your charisma levels.

So remember you must have goals that you are working towards, love yourself, listen to others, and model yourself on other charismatic people.  Try to be charismatic, but don’t try too hard.  Watch other people and observe what they ‘get right’ and what they ‘get wrong’ in the charisma stakes.  This will greatly increase your awareness over time, and help hone your skills.  Pretty soon you will notice huge strides in charisma levels, and your success and enjoyment of life will also soar.  Now get out there and wow the world with your new charming charismatic self!

Jon Rhodes is a Guest Blogger for PickTheBrain and a successful clinical hypnotherapist from the UK.  If you are interested in self improvement, click here for details of his very popular therapeutic sessions.

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