When Emotions Collide and How To Practise Mindfulness Meditation

Article in brief: The human brain is responsible for all the functions and emotions of a human being. If the brain holds all the emotions, behaviors, and feelings of a person, what is the probability that all of them collide?

The human brain is a very interesting organ. Although it is made by a complex mix of water, lipids, protein, carbs, soluble organics and inorganic salts; mentally, the brain holds everything from vision, memory, speech, emotions, behaviors, movement and so much more.

The brain is divided into several parts. One of those parts is the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC), which is responsible for mood changes, behaviors, emotions, problems, anxiety and depression. Other functions of this very crowded section include regulation of blood pressure and heartbeat. It is also responsible for the perception of pain.

Since the ACC is responsible for what is commonly known as “Drama”, it is easy to say that one thing affects the other. If someone is stressed at work, the reoccurrence of this feeling will trigger an emotion related to it (i.e.: sadness), which will in the long run cause anxiety or depression, and that subsequently affects the person’s blood pressure and hence starts ‘The blunder of the ACC’.

There is however an upside to ‘The blunder of the ACC’. If all of this “Drama” is coming from the same place, then targeting everything all at once should be possible. A recent study has shown that meditation is one way to promptly activate the ACC; it reduces the effects of the “Drama”.

The research suggests using a specific method of meditation called “Mindfulness Meditation”. The main idea of this meditation is to clear your mind by maintaining attention to one thing and forcefully refocus when the mind wanders away.

The brain scans done to the volunteers in the study showed a decrease in anxiety by 39%. The scans also showed activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that controls worrying.

How to practice the “Mindfulness Meditation”:

1. Environment: the environment has to be quiet and comfortable.
2. Practice: the duration should be between 5 to 10 minutes, twice a day.
3. Posture: the best posture for this meditation is either standing or bending as the energy in the body flows better in those positions.
4. Gaze: concentrate on a point that is almost 2 inches in front of your nose. The more the gaze is raised, the more distracting it is for the mind. Hence, lessening the effect of the meditation.
5. Breath: concentrate on the flow of your breathing to remain focused.
6. Thoughts: keep them away! There is plenty of time after the meditation is done.

Staying focused on one thing is not easy. The slowest speed at which information travels between neurons is faster than the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron (Brain: 416 km/h, Bugatti: 407.164 km/h). However, practice always makes perfect.

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Note from writer: Muslims pray 5 times a day and every single point mentioned in the method to practice “Mindfulness Meditation” is part of our prayer guidelines.

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Dictionary:

• Blunder: Mix-up
• ACC: Anterior Cingulate Cortex

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References:

• “About a Poem: GenineLentine on Gabrielle CalvocoressiÂ’s “The Last Time I Saw Amelia Earhart”.” Shambhala Sun. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2125.
• “Anxious? Activate Your Anterior Cingulate Cortex With a Little Meditation.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 June 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130604114001.htm.
• “Brain.” Anterior cingulate cortex regulation of sympathetic activity. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/126/10/2119.full.
• “Brain Health & Puzzles.” Fun Facts About The Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. http://www.brainhealthandpuzzles.com/fun_facts_about_the_brain.html.
• “Interactive Movie – How the human brain works – New Scientist.” Interactive Movie – How the human brain works – New Scientist. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. http://www.newscientist.com/movie/brain-interactive.