As frequent and long term meditation rewires our brains, it changes its physical structure. This is called neuroplasticity. In a sense, just as we condition our bodies to be fitter and stronger through exercise, we can also condition our minds to perform better. As we train our minds through meditation, the cognitive benefits include improved memory retention, creativity, focus and productivity.
The correlation between meditation and less stress is relatively well-known. But what about meditation and focus? Meditation and memory? Even meditation and creativity share important links that could improve your quality of life. Meditation, and mindful meditation in particular, has been shown to have huge benefits in cognitive health, improving areas such as:
Around middle age, we start to lose memory retention ability. The names of old acquaintances slip our minds, we forget to pay bills, and it becomes easier to walk into a room and forget why we walked in there. While this was previously thought to be just a part of aging, new research suggests that mindfulness meditation can actually enhance memory function. These benefits can help fight age-related memory loss and dementia.
Meditation also has more immediate benefits, like increasing the capacity of one’s working memory and improving long-term memory. Whereas working memory allows you to hold more information in your mind while completing a task, long-term memory allows for more information to be retained and retrieved from memory. Together, long-term and working memory make up your memory storage and can receive a substantially sized boost from meditation.
Some studies have associated mindfulness meditation with the creative process, drawing conclusions that meditation can solve creative problems. In his book, Mindfulness for Creativity, Danny Penman writes that meditation can open our minds to new ideas and stimulate divergent thinking, which is key to the creative process.
Mindfulness is actively and nonjudgmentally noticing novel aspects of our internal and external experience. This can lead to a rich internal cognitive environment in which new associations, discoveries, inventions, and processes can occur. Some people may experience an “Aha!” moment during meditation in which the pieces to a creative problem click into place, but others find that meditation simply gives their brain room to unconsciously work out a problem, and the creative solution comes to them hours or even days later. Regardless, mindful meditation gives the brain the space it needs to be its fully creative self.
With so much stimulation surrounding us, it can be difficult to focus on the moment we are in and the task we are on. Meditation has been shown to increase our attention span. It trains us to keep our mind on the task at hand and let distractions pass by without getting entangled with them. A study published in 2013 showed participants who trained in a two-week mindfulness training course improved their working memory capacity while reducing the occurrence of distracting thoughts.
Another study done in 2012 compared brain images of experienced meditators with people who have not meditated. Their evidence demonstrated less mind-wandering and more general awareness and direct attention from the group of experienced meditators than the group who have not meditated. This suggests a greater ability to focus, resist distracting thoughts, and stay on task in people who regularly practice meditation. This improved ability to focus allows for more productivity and efficiency.
Apart from the old adage of “work smarter, not harder”, there are two other ways to be more productive: Work a lot, or work intensely. To work “intensely” is to put more focus into the immediate task. The more intensely you focus, the faster it will get done. Meditation can help you work smarter so you don’t have to work harder.
Meditation improves productivity in a number of ways. It increases the gray matter around the brain for improved working memory. It decreases stress levels so you can stay calm during high-pressure days. It increases attention span so you can stay on task for longer. And studies show it can deepen your concentration in a way that promotes serenity and calmness.
If you want to increase your productivity, creativity, focus, and memory retention, drop by Elevated Meditations in Colorado Springs for mindful meditations and other meditation classes. If you have a specific goal for your meditative practice, let our expert class instructors know so they can personalize your experience. Embark on a healing and transformative journey today.
