#Neuroscience and Meditation Archives - Madhu Bazaz Wangu
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#Neuroscience and Meditation

Tuesday, May 12 2026

Posted on May 12, 2026
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Flourishing, Journaling, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
2 Comments

Late Spring Roses at Ashby Ponds, May 2026 Did you know that an experience repeated over and over again changes and reshapes our brain? That’s what a ballerina or a pianist or an Olympic swimmer does. Practice. Practice. Practice. Brain rewires itself in response to anything that is practiced over and over again. This is called “neuroplasticity.” Such an experience expands parts of brain and leaves lingering neural marks on it.  Previously “neuroplasticity” was thought to occur only in children. In 1990’s intensive research showed that adult brain can also rewire itself. This finding challenged a long-standing dogma. The new discovery offered a scientific basis for how repeated training could create lasting mental traits in any field including contemplative practices such as meditation. The aim of our Meditation and Journaling Practice is to...

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Tuesday, May 4, 2026

Posted on May 4, 2026
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Attention and Awareness, Awareness, Meditation, Spirituality
3 Comments

Nancy Bishop, AP Resident, Watercolor This month we’ll focus on Mindfulness and Neuroscientific research done on meditation. Mindfulness is part of an ancient tradition with countless benefits. It teaches how to calm down and pause instead of reacting with anger or irritability, how to act without getting stressed or anxious. But originally the practice was not intended for such purposes. These are simply its side-effects.  Easy and brief meditation practices are spin offs that has been recently adopted in western countries. The original aim of meditation, still embraced in some cultures and circles, focusses on deep exploration of the mind to get insights into human consciousness.  Using fMRI and EEG (explained below) and a battery of cutting-edge data analysis for the last thirty years or so neuroscientists have been studying minds of Tibetan monks...

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Thursday, April 9, 2026

Posted on April 8, 2026
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, #Stillness, Silence, Solitude, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Spirituality
2 Comments

Turmoil and Tranquility, Acrylic on Canvas, 1979 Some of you might be struggling with silent meditation practice. Here are a few suggestions for you to use. Hope this helps!  Establish a formal meditation time when and where you have minimal of distraction. It is crucial to sit regularly. Mornings are great, evenings are good too. Sit in the same place each time. You will associate that space with tranquility and therefore look forward to sitting.  The very act of sitting still in silence and solitude will settle your mental clutter and recharge your battery. Let the practice grow gradually and gently. Fifteen to twenty minutes of silent meditation daily is very beneficial.  The purpose of Mindfulness Meditation is to transform your living experience. You now know  the difference between sensation, conscious thought, and feeling. You...

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Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Posted on April 6, 2026
in #Awareness, #Neuroscience and Meditation, #Stillness, Silence, Solitude, Flourishing, Nonverbal Activities, Originality, Sharper Brain after Retirement
2 Comments

The Hopeful Immigrant, Our Friend 1978, Acrylic on Canvas What does neuroplasticity mean?  Neuroplasticity means that our brain structure changes in response to whatever training we practice. It goes on all the time. Drugs temporarily alter our brain. We feel differently until they are in our system. But meditation alters each and every nook of our brain and our body and impacts our day-to-day life.  4 Pillars of neuroplasticity are Awareness, Connection, Insight and Resilience1. AwarenessMetta (loving friendly) Awareness means knowing where your mind is and what it is doing, and bringing it back to the breath over and over again. 2. ConnectionHealthy social relationships. 3. InsightIntroducing oneself to Self and having positive self-image. It ranges from positive self-image to not ever introducing oneself to Self to extremely negative self-image. 4 ResilienceHaving the ability to recover from adversity. In order to...

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Thursday, April 2, 2026

Posted on April 1, 2026
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, #Stillness and Solitude, #Stillness, Silence, Solitude, Being in Nature, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Travel
4 Comments

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada In one Buddhist teaching the progress of the mind of a meditator, from being a novice to a skilled meditator, is equated with three bodies of water: waterfall, river and lake.WATERFALLThe mind of a beginner is like a waterfall. When you sit to meditate, your mind thunders with torrents of thoughts and feelings. You are oblivious to physical sensations. Even when torrents of thought tighten your muscles, you are clueless. You don’t know you are tense. Focus on your breath and try to get in touch with your physical sensations. Sit with your eyes closed for 15 minutes and then move on to journaling. Your awareness of what you are doing and who you are is a powerful grounding tool at this stage. Following the meditation,...

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Thursday, March 26, 2026

Posted on March 25, 2026
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Sharper Brain after Retirement, Well Being
4 Comments

Magnolias, Ashby Ponds, March 2026 A half-century of neuroscientific research has concluded that meditation is as important to your mental well-being as exercise is to the physical health. If you exercise regularly, you build stronger muscles, denser bones, and increased stamina. If you meditate daily, your attention span, memory, and patience increase. You learn to manage negative emotions and situations more efficiently and strengthen sense of calm, resilience, and relationships.  The moment we are born, the breath is with us and the moment it leaves, we die. Wherever we go, our breath goes with us. It is our anchor. It is perfect the way it is. We need not speed it up, force it, push it away or control it. Simply pay attention to its natural rhythm, letting it continue its work without...

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Tuesday, February 22, 2026

Posted on February 24, 2026
in #Awareness, #Neuroscience and Meditation, Attention and Awareness, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Spirituality
4 Comments

Winter Landscape Just as plants have the capacity to bring scented flowers to life, just as black rock can crystalize into a glittering diamond, and just as an egg can grow to become a captivating peacock, you too can transcend into your Authentic Self. When you are fully present in the now, when you are embodied, and grounded, you are at your truest self. Let the intelligence of your body, your mind and your heart inform you, awaken you, and guide your day. How can you actualize this? How can you become your Authentic Self? How can you connect with and experience your inner body? By being self-aware and attentive of your surroundings with the practices of journaling and meditation.   These practices remove the masks and self-protective shields you tend to cover yourselves...

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Thursday, June 26, 2025

Posted on June 25, 2025
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Nonverbal Activities, Well Being
4 Comments

Today I’m going to talk about how to sleep better. Yes it is that important! Seven to nine hours of sleep, including the afternoon siesta is one of the most effective things we can do to reset our brain and body and increase quality life span. As we sleep the body replenishes itself. This affects every system, “From the brain to the heart, the immune system and all the inner workings of our metabolism. While we sleep the body heals tissues, strengthens memory and even sharpens brain.” Sufficient sleep keeps us attentive, sharp and creative. The brain has a “clean cycle” system for washing away metabolic debris and junk. Failure to remove this brain trash may be linked to higher risk of developing dementia. In three words—Sleep is medicine.So what can...

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Tuesday, June 10,2025

Posted on June 9, 2025
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, #Reading Poetry, Imagination
6 Comments

Who doesn’t want to sharpen their mind at any time in our life, especially during the final stage? We now know that the brain can be enriched, made faster, fitter and sharper at any age by practicing, that is doing something over and over again (neuroplasticity). We also know a sharper mind is more resilient which improves when we go through challenging experiences. Each day counts.  Body and brain are deeply connected. What is good for the body is good for the brain. Here are eight practices brain needs. You may be already exercising some of these. So one by one try to add the ones you are not: 1. Sleep for seven to eight hours a night2. Eat three nutritious meals a day3. Walk/Exercise four to five times a week4. Daily...

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Thursday, May 29, 2025

Posted on May 28, 2025
in #Neuroscience and Meditation, Flourishing, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
8 Comments

“In the beginning nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the ending nothing goes,” wrote the Tibet’s eminent twelfth-century poet, yogi and sage, Milarepa. What does it mean, we wonder. Matthieu Ricard, the American yogi who lives in Tibet unpacks this puzzle in this way:At the start of meditation practice, little or nothing seems to change in us. After continued practice, we notice some changes in the way of our being, but they come and go. Finally as practice stabilizes, the changes are constant and enduring, with no fluctuation. Instead of being temporary states they become altered traits of the practitioner. The beginners impact begins from under 100 total hours of practice. Long term meditators range from 1,000-10,000 hours. Yogis tested at Richie’s lab averaged three times more than long term...

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