Recent years have seen a flood of scientific studies done on the mental and physical
benefits of meditation and mindfulness. Meditation and mindfulness training have been found to increase feelings of well-being, reduce stress, and result in a stronger ability to tolerate distress. Improved focus, less emotional reactivity, and less rumination, a habit among those experiencing depression, have been observed as well. Studies point to actual
physical changes in the brain that can occur as a result of mindfulness and meditation training. Such changes include a reduction in size of the amygdala, an area of the brain associated with processing stress, a size increase in the brain stem and hippocampus, both associated with positive emotions. There have been long term studies done on regular meditators as well which indicate that as long as the practice is maintained, these brain changes would remain.