Researchers from the Dalian University of Technology and Oregon University found that meditation may help individuals achieve their goals for personal development and happiness, as it strengthens brain regions that control behavior.
In a study, the team of scientists measured the brain activity of participants while they meditated and found that they displayed significant changes in regions relating to regulation of emotion and behavior. A control group experienced no changes in their brains.
"The importance of our findings relates to the ability to make structural changes in a brain network related to self regulation," said co-author Michael Posner. "The pathway that has the largest change due to [meditation] is one that previously was shown to relate to individual differences in the person's ability to regulate conflict."
Previous research has associated meditation with lower blood levels of a stress hormone as well as alleviated feelings of depression, anger and fatigue.
Individuals often visit the Sedona, Arizona attractions to learn more about alternative therapies like meditation or yoga. The city is known as a hotbed for intuitives and healers, and is also the home of flutist and philosopher Ilchi Lee.
Lee believes that healing is possible through several non-invasive, non-medicinal means. One such way is meditation, and he has even developed his own methods for the practice that are meant to help people eliminate negative thoughts in their brains while embracing positivity.
The vortexes and Red Rocks of Sedona may be the perfect setting for a long meditation practice, as the region is known for its high-energy air. Additionally, heat is good for the practice as it forces the practitioner to focus on meditation and push out thoughts of external stressors, which may help strengthen the mind.
