Mindfulness Changes Your Brain
“Mindfulness” is quite the buzz-word these days, isn’t it? While the word is thrown around frequently, the meaning of it... not so much. If you Google tips on how to cope with everyday stressors, you will find “mindfulness” somewhere on that list. But mindfulness is not a new concept; it’s as old as time and can be traced as far back as the fifth century BC, appearing in the Buddha’s most essential teachings. I believe mindfulness even predates Buddhism, for depending on how one defines it, these practices can be observed across many disciplines.
So, why such a trend now? Some of us have a few theories.
Globalization, for one. Eastern philosophy and western psychology have been meeting and merging for quite some time now, and Buddhism specifically has continued to spread within the west.
For two: mindfulness straight-up works.
Modern-day research is finally catching up to eastern societies, deeming mindfulness practice an effective tool to improve one’s mental health. Our data/research-obsessed society is now able to legitimize what many people of various disciplines have known for centuries: Regular mindfulness practice leads to radical transformation. Some of us don’t need research to know that, but many of us do.
Mindfulness is more than learning to be present. Mindfulness literally changes the structures of your brain.
Mindfulness is the practice of tuning into and maintaining awareness of our present moment-to-moment experiences. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of medicine emeritus and creator of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society has defined mindfulness as: “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”
There are many ways to practice. In Buddhism, there are four foundational practices: Mindfulness of body, mindfulness of mind, mindfulness of feelings, and mindfulness of dharma (the Buddha’s teachings).
When practicing mindfulness of body, we may observe our breath, observe sensations on our feet while walking, or practice a body-scan. Mindfulness of mind and feelings may include the gentle noticing of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and emotions as they arise and fall in our awareness. Rather than spending all our hours lost in our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, the practice of mindfulness allows us to have an observational an unbiased relationship to them.
How does this change the brain?
The brain is neuroplastic, meaning that the brain can change and is constantly reorganizing itself based on life experiences and our responses/reactions to those experiences (traumatic experiences as well as repeated, every-day experiences). The brain organizes and reorganizes by forming and maintaining new neuropathways in the brain. The cool thing about neuroplasticity is that it is not only something that happens in passing, but neuroplasticity can be self-directed. This is where therapy can truly help, and so does mindfulness practice!
The use of mindfulness is not solely a short-term self-soothing technique, but when utilized consistently, it is a type of brain training. Regular practice increases and strengthens the “muscles” of self-awareness and awareness of one's direct experience.
As this awareness increases, so does the capacity to notice the "gaps," or the space between our automatic/habitual stream of thoughts, emotions, and subsequent behaviors. As we become more familiar and comfortable in those "gaps," we increase accessibility for self-redirection. In other words, we recognize the opportunity to make a choice on how to respond (or not respond) to our inner and outer experiences (instead of doing that thing we always do).
Each time we practice self-redirection, we create NEW neuropathways in our brain (a process called neurogenesis); and the more we practice self-redirection, we strengthen those neuropathways, increasing the likelihood of repeating these new responses (and brain activity) the next time. Going back to the metaphor of “muscles,” training the brain is like exercising a muscle; the more you practice/exercise anything, the better and stronger you get at it.
More than muscles, I prefer the metaphor of Tall Grass. Creating and strengthening neuropathways in the brain is much like walking in tall grass. The more we walk through a path, the more we wear it down, making it easier and easier to take that same path again and again. Taking the path is easy because it’s there, it’s familiar, and even if its wretchedly painful, there is something comfortable about it. So, we take it again and again.
If you find that this path leads you to the same place of pain and suffering, a place you do not want to be, you might feel helpless, not realizing that while you cannot see another path, you can create a new one (neurogenesis!). It’s uncomfortable and unfamiliar (and likely itchy), but you can walk through the tall grass, leading to somewhere new and likely better. Each time you go down this path, you wear down the foliage and you make the path clearer for the next time. Eventually, you can’t miss it, and it takes little effort to choose it.
The same goes for how neuropathways in the brain are created, strengthened, and maintained.
Each time we create and strengthen new neuropathways by making different choices for ourselves, we also weaken others. For example, as we continue to make choices for ourselves from that space of awareness, the older, unhelpful ways of reacting to the world become less and less automatic. True to the phrase, “use it or lose it,” over time, these ancient neuropathways weaken and dwindle, like tall foliage growing over that once worn-down path that you used to always take because it was there. Eventually you won’t even be able to see it.
To pause, observe thoughts, feelings, and urges without judgement, and make an intentional choice instead of the knee-jerk-doing-what-we-always-do is the practice of mindfulness. It is also the practice of changing the structures of your brain!
So, next time someone asks you why you are into that "woo-woo" mindfulness stuff, just let them know that you are creating new pathways and changing your brain.
