Meditation and your brain - 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning

English. I’m Neil.

And I’m Sam.

How do you relax, Sam?

Well, I love watching movies and I go swimming.

One thing that millions of people around the

world do is meditate to relax and that’s

the subject of our programme. We’ll be

looking at experiments by scientists in

the US into the Buddhist practice of meditation.

We’ll find out how Tibetan monks use meditation

techniques to focus better and manage

their emotions.

But what exactly is meditation? People just

sitting cross-legged on the floor, thinking

of nothing?!

There’s a bit more to it than that. After

all, Buddhist meditation is an ancient practice

– even science, according to some. Tibetan

Buddhism, as embodied by the Dalai Lama, is

what many people think of when you mention

meditation. Which brings me to my quiz question.

Which is..?

What is the meaning of the Tibetan word for

‘meditation’? Is it…

a) to relax, b) to feel blissful, or

c) to become familiar.

I think it must be either a) to relax, or

b) to feel blissful because they sound like

positive states of mind. But I’m not sure

about calling meditation a ‘science’, Neil.

Isn’t it more like a philosophy or

a lifestyle?

Not according to Professor Richard Davidson

of the Center for Healthy Minds. He spoke

to Alejandra Martins of BBC World Service

programme 'Witness History' about his remarkable

scientific experiment which proved for the

first time that meditation can actually change

the brain.

When I first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama

it was 1972. He challenged me, he said, ‘I

understand that you’ve been using tools

of modern neuroscience to study anxiety

and depression. Why can’t you use those same

tools to study kindness and to study compassion?’

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the

workings of the human brain and nervous system.

Professor Davidson measured negative mental

states like depression, in contrast to positive

attitudes such as compassion – that’s

the wish for everyone to be free from suffering.

Right. In his test, Buddhist monks sent out

loving thoughts to everyone equally – to

friends, enemies and strangers as well as

to themselves.

Compassionate thoughts such as ‘May you

be happy and peaceful’, ‘May you not suffer’.

And the results were astonishing!

What did they show, Neil?

Very high levels of gamma oscillations – now

that’s brain waves showing increased connections

between different parts of the brain. This

is what you or I might experience as a flash

of insight – a moment of sudden understanding

and clarity. For us, it might last less than

a second.

But for these experienced Buddhist

monks, the gamma waves lasted minutes!

Furthermore, as Richard Davidson explains,

brain changes as a result of meditation

can be long lasting.

There is no question at this point in time

based upon the current

science that has been conducted over the last

10 years, that meditation can change the brain

in enduring ways; and the circuits that are

involved are multiple, but they include circuits

that are important for regulating attention

and regulating emotion.

So, this was proof of neuroplasticity – our

brain’s ability to change in response to

conscious effort. In other words, the meditating

monks were intentionally reshaping their

And this was possible because the brain circuits

– different parts of the brain responsible

for different functions – start talking

to each other in new ways that created enduring

– meaning long-lasting - changes.

The meditators gained insight into how their

minds work. They were more focused and emotionally

balanced and less likely to get upset. How

cool is that?

Pretty cool! But these Tibetan monks sound

like Buddhas! They spend thousands of hours

sitting in meditation. I’ve got to go to

work, Neil! What good is meditation to me?

Well, Sam, in fact the experiment showed that

30 minutes of meditation a day significantly

increased feelings of loving kindness in new

meditators too!

OK, maybe I’ll give meditation a go after

all. But not before I find out the answer

to today’s quiz please.

Yes, I asked you what the Tibetan word for

‘meditation’ meant.

And I said either a) to relax, or b) to feel

blissful. And I’m feeling pretty confident

of getting it right this time, Neil.

Well, Sam, if the answer came to you in a

flash of insight then I’m afraid you need

more practice because the correct answer is

c) to become familiar, in this case with more

positive thoughts and emotions.

You mean emotions like kindness and compassion

– the thought wishing everyone to be free

from their problems. What other

vocabulary did we learn today, Neil?

Well, it turns out meditation is actually

a science. Neuroscience in fact, which is

the study of the human brain and nervous system.

Meditation experiments proved neuroplasticity

- the brain’s ability to restructure.

By generating and sending out the compassionate

wish, ‘May all beings be happy’, Buddhist

meditators change their brain circuits – different

parts of the brain responsible for different

functions. And this is an enduring change,

meaning it lasts and increases over a long

period of time.

I must say, Sam, you took it pretty well when

you guessed the wrong answer just then.

Thanks, Neil. I don’t like getting upset,

so I’m trying out some breathing meditation!

Breathing in the positive, breathing out the

negative…

Join us again soon for another interesting

discussion on 6 Minute English from BBC

Learning English. Bye for now!

Bye.