\u201cJust as an experienced athlete practices a sport differently than a beginner, experienced mindfulness practitioners seem to use their mental \u2018muscles\u2019 differently in response to pain than novice meditators,\u201d explained Wielgosz, in a letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study suggests that hands-on training for the mind and body to free themselves of judgment and function in the present helps participants learn to respond to pain with less distress and more psychological flexibility\u2014which can make the pain itself less intense. According to the scientists, these discoveries can help demonstrate the potential of practicing mindfulness as a lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese robust results closely align with those obtained here in Brazil,\u201d claims biologist Elisa Harumi Kozasa, a researcher at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE). According to her, there are even more extensive studies that show changes in brain anatomy after practicing very specific meditation activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere in Brazil, one study that followed elderly women who regularly practiced a particular type of yoga showed this. After eight years, cerebral cortex thickness had changed,\u201d notes Kozasa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study compared 21 women over the age of 60 who practiced hatha yoga for at least eight years to a group\u2014also of 21 women\u2014who had never taken any sessions. \u201cI don’t use the term mindfulness because there is much debate over what it actually encompasses. I prefer to focus on the practice, such as yoga or even specific exercises that follow defined protocols and that focus on the present moment and removing judgment,\u201d stresses Kozasa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As confirmed by several studies, yoga, for example, is a mind-body activity that requires attention and that has been associated with positive changes in brain structure and function, especially in areas related to consciousness, attention, executive functions, and memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Kozasa, although changes in brain structure are associated with long-term yoga practice, meditation performed over a very short period of time also generates results related to well-being but does not change brain anatomy. \u201cThis was demonstrated in another study we performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kozasa and collaborators recruited a sample of 717 people to participate in the study. At random, half of the sample received an audio clip that was two minutes and three seconds long, with negative news about the pandemic. The other half listened to positive news. Afterward, everyone received a second audio clip that was three minutes and nineteen seconds of meditation. That is, with instructions on how to quickly relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven in this short period of time, the meditation worked and mitigated the effects of the negative news. This shows that practicing activities such as meditation helps improve emotional responses,\u201d states Kozasa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Study demonstrates pain-related changes in brain activity as a result of mindfulness training<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"autor":[125],"temas":[],"chapeu":[192],"class_list":["post-1804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","autor-eduardo-geraque-2","chapeu-neuroscience"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n