Meditation:

Whole libraries of books have been written about the benefits of meditation and prayer!

The spiritual benefit of both these disciplines are endorsed and encouraged by every one of the world’s great religions. Both give a sense of detachment and can lead to ‘acceptance’, which means a reduction in fruitless worry and agitation. Brain imaging shows that people who meditate achieve higher levels of more restful and restorative brain waves.

You may wish to read God, Faith and Health by Jeff Levin (published by John Wiley and Sons, 2001) for a superb overview of what the cover describes (accurately!) as "the connections between health and an array of spiritual beliefs and practices, including prayer...[and] meditation". This will give you a wealth of great information about the physical and mental health benefits of these practices.

Subsequent research has only increased the weight of evidence attesting to the positive consequences of prayer and meditation.

In The Memory Prescription, Dr. Gary Small confirms that functional MRI scans have shown changes in brain blood-flow patterns in people trained to meditate.
 

Quiet Time:

Many people believe very strongly in the benefit of quiet times for the brain, in addition to times of meditation and/or prayer.

Not only did our ancestors and forebears sleep longer (on average) than we do today, but for the vast majority of the human population during our evolution, the hours of darkness were times of talk or silent reflection. While undoubtedly there were songs and stories around the campfire, anthropologists have suggested that our forebears had far more quiet times in their lives.

Many brain researchers, including Richard Restak, make the point that although our brain has not evolved very much over the last 200,000 years the demands made on it have multiplied exponentially in recent decades.

Now, we are always on the go, assaulted by messages and sounds. We have gained many conveniences and acquired a huge array of 24/7 entertainment and stimulation. What we have lost is quiet time, connection to the rhythm and cycles of nature, and opportunities for quiet reflection - when the brain can rest and "recharge".

We know that sleep is crucial to learning and memory. But there is an epidemic of people in the modern world who are sleep deprived both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Television, contrary to popular belief, does not help us to unwind and using alcohol to relax also affects quality of sleep even at low dosages. Sitting quietly, soaking in a bath or walking in nature would be better.

Regarding the importance of times of quiet reflection to creativity, invention, and innovation: brain imaging technology has confirmed what scientists, researchers, and creative people have known for millennia.

The brain needs quiet time to assimilate and allow the creative process to happen - the time and space to bring together the raw material and make the surprising connections and leaps of faith that lead to creativity. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but ‘mama’ needs sleep and a rest to do her best work!

 

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