Meditation and mindfulness are practices that have been used for centuries by different cultures for spiritual purposes.However, in recent years, science has shown that these practices also have benefits for physical and mental health.

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From my perspective, meditation and mindfulness are a workout for the brain. Just as we go to the gym to train our muscles, meditation helps us strengthen the areas of our brain related to attention, concentration, emotional control, and decision-making.

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Specifically, meditation and mindfulness can help to:

• Increase gray matter, which is the part of the brain responsible for cognition, emotion, and behavior.

• Decrease fear and stress by reducing activity in the amygdala, a region of the brain associated with these emotions.

• Improve focus by increasing the ability to maintain attention in the present moment.

• Improve mood by increasing activity in the brain regions associated with happiness and satisfaction.

• Increase the cortical thickness of the hippocampus, which is a region of the brain responsible for memory and learning.

• Create more stability in the ventral posteromedial cortex, a region of the brain associated with wandering thoughts.​

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In my view, we should all train our brains like we train our bodies at the gym. By doing so, we can improve our physical and mental health and have more fulfilling, happy, and successful lives.

My philosophy and one of my goals is that we can all be urban meditators.

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Meditation is not something that can only be done in a temple or a remote place. We can practice it anywhere, anytime. We can even practice it while walking, working, or doing any other activity.

There are many different ways to practice meditation and mindfulness. We can find a technique that suits our needs and preferences. We can start with short sessions of a few minutes and then gradually increase the time.

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With a little practice, we can all become urban meditator.

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                                                                                                                         Erika♡