If you thought meditation was just some woo-woo fad practiced by those spacey granola-types, think again! The last few decades have seen an explosion of scientific research into the benefits of meditation, and the results have been, quite frankly, mind-blowing! These 4 science-backed facts I share in this video are among the most “mind-blowingest” (yes I jut made that word up) of all..

A meta-analysis of 47 clinical trials has shown that mindfulness meditation is an effective treatment for stress, anxiety and depression – especially severe depression and also pain. Studies have shown meditation to be as effective as anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication but without the nasty side effects! Many psychotherapists and counsellors use a combination of mindfulness and cognitive-therapy to improve the mental health of their patients.

Mindfulness training, even as short as 3 days – produces a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines, the molecules responsible for inflammation, and the more you practice, the lower these levels become. (Which is so important because systemic inflammation is now considered one of the main factors behind most chronic disease as well as anxiety and depression).

Also, one study showed after 3 months of intensive practice of mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation, practitioners showed an increase in telomerase, an enzyme which slows down cellular ageing. Studies on long term meditators and yogis have shown that their brains age much more slowly than other people at the same age.

Students listen up – studies have shown meditation can result in less mind-wandering and greater ease in sustaining concentration  and attention and in one study students who practiced meditation ended up with significantly higher exam scores. Improvements in focus and attention were measured after just 17 minutes of meditation.

Regular, long-term meditation practice doesn’t just produce short-lived effects, but lasting trait-changes such as reduced sensitivity to stress, increase emotional intelligence and traits such as more kindness, compassion and empathy, less critical and judgmental towards self and others, and some studies have shown it makes people more tolerant and less racially biased.

See, I told you these facts were mind-blowing! On that note, enrollment for my signature online program “The Calmer Mind Course” is opening up again soon – it’s a step-by-step system to reduce stress, anxiety & depression in 8 weeks or less! Jump on the wait-list to be notified when enrollment opens again here.