How Meditation Rewires Your Brain and Why You Can Start Today

Meditation is more than just a moment of calm. It is a powerful tool to shape your brain, hone your focus, and increase your emotional well-being. Once considered a mystical or religious ritual, meditation is now accepted by neuroscientists, doctors and educators that have measurable effects on the mind and body.

One of the most persuasive examples is ky Yongji Mingyur Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk who researchers called “the happiest person in the world.”

In 2002, Mingyur Rinpoche visited the Brain Imaging Lab of renowned neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson. Davidson, a pioneer in studying the link between emotions and the brain, sought to answer critical questions. Can meditation really change the brain? For the investigation, he invited several Tibetan Buddhist monks, including Rinpoche, to participate in scientific research.

In the laboratory, Mingyur Rinpoche sat quietly, wearing a cap lined with electrodes without ceremonial instruments or chan chanting, only connected to devices that captured brain signals. He practiced loving friendly meditation, a Buddhist technique centered on fostering compassion.

The moment he closed his eyes, the monitor was a fierce, stable gamma wave, the fastest brain wave, usually showing fleeting brain waves at moments of inspiration or deep focus. To my surprise, Mingir Rinpoche’s brain instantly produced these waves and kept them strong for a few minutes. The groundbreaking research was published in the minutes of the National Academy of Sciences.