The seven-minute habit that can change your brain for the better
Meditation is one of the simplest and most popular wellness practices, with research showing it may help reduce stress and anxiety, boost sleep quality, and even soothe pain.
Thousands of Australians rave about the benefits of meditation – but I’ve never been able to shut my brain up for long enough to do it, and I’m not alone.
Meditation is supposed to be relaxing, but many Aussies find it difficult. E+
Many people claim their minds start wandering the second they try to meditate, leaving them tense, frustrated and ready to throw in the towel right away.
But new research suggests as little as seven minutes of meditation can cause meaningful changes in your brain, shifting brainwaves and inviting benefits many Aussies crave.
The science of meditation
The goal of meditation is to quiet your body and mind to give your brain a break from the constant noise of our modern world.
There are many different forms of meditation but one of the most common is breath work, wherein you focus on your breathing and let everything else fade into the background.
Just a few minutes of that can lead to significant changes in a person’s brain waves, according to a new study from the US.
Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Skipper at mleach@nine.com.au
It monitored the brain activity of 103 adults – some experienced meditators, some beginners – while they meditated by focusing on their breathing.
In a matter of minutes, brain waves associated with relaxation and focus were rising, while brain waves linked to drowsiness and mind-wandering were dropping.
In plain English; sitting quietly and paying attention to your breathing for just a few minutes can help calm your brain.
It only takes seven minutes
Dr. Balachundhar Subramaniam, a Harvard Medical School professor who co-led the study, said those brain wave changes peaked between about seven and 15 minutes of meditation.
“At the seventh minute or so, if you sit quietly, then your breath-watching will happen automatically, the way it is intended to be,” he told CNN.
“That’s a very simple way of getting into the space that everyone is aspiring to be.”
Plenty of Aussies could benefit from meditating but say they don't have the time or discipline to do it. Digital Vision Vectors
The positive effects of meditation were even more pronounced in subjects who had more experience, suggesting you can boost the power of short-term meditation by practicing.
But that’s easier said than done for many Aussies.
Most of us are strapped for time and don’t see the appeal of sitting quietly with our eyes closed for a quarter of an hour; but it might be exactly what our brains need.
Other research has shown meditation allows the brain to stop focusing on everything else – work, kids, screens, algorithms – and turn inwards.
The result, at least according to scientists, is that the brain starts reallocating resources towards things like emotional regulation and memory processes.
But will it really work for the meditation skeptics among us?
Road testing seven-minute meditation
I’ve tried meditating twice before – when I couldn’t sleep for weeks before my wedding, and in a yoga class. Both times, my mind started wandering in about 30 seconds.
Seven minutes is all it takes to feel the effects of meditation, according to the experts. Maddison Skipper
For this attempt, I set a seven-minute timer and tried three different approaches.
First I meditated right as I went to bed, lying under a blanket in the dark. I was tired from a long day and my mind was racing from a few episodes of Criminal Minds, so when I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing I didn’t expect much.
Surprisingly, I fell into a deep relaxation and barely noticed the time passing. When the alarm buzzed, it took me a second to come back to myself. Meditating, it seemed, had worked; I felt calm and dozed off soon after.
The second time, I tried meditating while sitting in my room before work. After five minutes of fidgeting, opening my eyes to check the timer, and my mind wandering back to work again and again, I gave up. Perhaps the first time had been a fluke.
The third and final attempt was on a Friday afternoon, lying on the couch after clocking off. My mind still wandered in the first few minutes but after a few minutes in the sun, I felt myself drift into that quiet, relaxed zone again. I even kept going for a few more minutes after my timer ended.
The verdict
Though I won’t be adding a 15-minute meditation break to my daily routine, I was surprised I managed to do it and even enjoy it a little.
It was surprisingly simple to drop into a relaxed headspace in a few minutes with the right conditions, and it would get even easier with practice.
I definitely felt calmer after the two successful meditation sessions, so those scientists may be onto something after all.
