physico-mental activity

One of the most frequently e-mailed New York Times articles in recent memory was a piece by Sindyan Bhanoo which ran on January 28 suggesting the possibility that meditation causes physical changes in the brain.

M.R.I. brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes.

Curious? Read it here.

I've been meditating for about a year now, about 12-15 minutes a day (nothing like the two hours a day the subject who is the article's main focus has been doing), and I've certainly noticed changes in attitude and outlook. But it never occurred to me that there might be corresponding physical changes as well. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, since yoga asana (movement) practice has mental as well as physical effects.

Etaoin Shrdlu
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