You’ve heard it again and again: You should be meditating. It zaps stress, prepping you to handle whatever life throws your way. But, did you know that meditation causes physical changes in your brain? Our friends over at Shape broke it down: Just as physical activity strengthens your body, meditation strengthens the parts of your brain that regulate emotion, among them the hippocampus.
Research indicates that two months of regular meditation will actually increase the density of the hippocampus’ gray matter — while decreasing it in the amygdala, the brain’s seat of fear and anxiety. Meditation done over the long-term has even more dramatic brain benefits.
Head over to Shape for the real scoop on why you should add this mental workout to your exercise routine. (Shape)