Meditation for Brain Function

Only about a third of our brain works together. Mostly, the different regions of the brain are operating independently of each other. It’s like an orchestra warming up; lots of constituent parts all doing their thing, but the overall result is a lot of discordant noise. 

Our brain wave readings (EEG) are low, and the different brain regions are invariably cycling at a high (beta) frequency which is not so conducive to higher level functioning.

There are also imbalances between the hemispheres of the brain; within the frontal cortex (leading to irrationally negative thinking) and between regions of the brain, such as the cortex, the limbic system and the hippocampus.

Establishing coherence is like wheeling in the conductor. All of a sudden all of the musicians fall into line and the integrated functioning of all those different parts produces something beautiful.

Beeja meditation enables all the areas of the brain to sync and the noise calms down. Our brainwaves increase, yet crucially the cycling of the brain slows down from 30-40 cycles per second (cps) when we’re working, to a much more beneficial and productive range of alpha functioning in the 6-7 cps range.

Normally when we stop concentrating and relax, the brain tends to cycle around 8-12 cps, which is restful but still de-synchronised. And this activity is measured mostly in the back of the brain.

During Beeja meditation, a profound alpha effect spreads from the rear of the head to cover the whole scalp, allowing all regions to connect. We build new neuronal patterns as we go, letting go of older, less useful patterns and keeping the useful but under-utilised neuronal muscle groups exercised with some daily stimulation.

The stem that joins the hemispheres of the brain strengthens. As the regions synchronise we experience higher cognitive functioning and greater levels of awareness. It’s access all areas as we start using our brain in a much more integrated and global fashion!

The prefrontal cortex is the most evolved part of the brain and is the home of our rationality, creativity and lateral thinking.  Through meditation it becomes more active and increases its capacity by growing thicker.

This then calms down the excitable and emotional limbic system; the driver of so much of our reckless behaviour. The frontal cortex doesn’t fully mature until we’re well into our 20s, which explains a lot!

In addition, our amygdala - the engine of the stress response - begins to quieten and we respond more appropriately to people and situations. This then leads to far less stress-induced cerebral shutdown.

Blood flow around the brain also increases, allowing the tissues and cells to be nourished with oxygen and nutrients, keeping our grey matter in tip-top shape. And the hippocampus, the seat of our memory formation and recall also grows larger as a result of meditation.

Having the whole brain functioning in concert like this correlates to increased intelligence, improved learning ability and academic performance, better short and long-term memory, enhanced moral reasoning, increased psychological stability, greater emotional maturity, greater alertness and faster reaction times.

Interestingly, it doesn’t stop there. The more we practise meditation, the more we develop the ability to move into the even more highly functional theta range of 4 – 7 cps, which, when operating in a synchronised fashion is exceptional.

Meditation with personalised mantras is the only technique we know of that delivers this type of functioning. We are talking weeks, not years, which is why people find themselves experiencing such clarity so quickly. And with time, we can unlock more and more of our latent potential.