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Huberman Lab
How Meditation Works & Science-Based Effective Meditations
Oct 31, 2022
02:23:39
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Quick takeaways
- Choose a meditation practice that aligns with your specific goals and needs.
- Interoceptive awareness can be heightened through regular meditation practice.
- Being fully present and focused on the current task or experience is a stronger predictor of happiness than the content of our thoughts.
- By directing our perception to a specific location, we can adjust our level of awareness and presence in the moment during meditation.
- Controlling the depth and cadence of our breaths during meditation can shift our brain and body states.
- Finding a balanced position along the interoceptive-dissociative continuum is crucial for optimal mental and physical health during meditation.
Deep dives
Meditation involves a variety of practices
Meditation encompasses a wide range of practices, including sitting or lying down with eyes closed, focusing on the third eye center, body scans, and walking meditations. Different forms of meditation have varying effects on the brain and body, and it is important to choose a practice that aligns with your specific goals and needs.
Meditation activates the interoceptive network
During meditation, there is a shift from exteroception (sensing the external world) to interoception (sensing the internal body state). This shift is associated with increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula, two brain regions responsible for interpreting bodily sensations. Interoceptive awareness, or the ability to sense and interpret internal bodily signals, can be heightened through regular meditation practice.
The default mode network and mind wandering
The default mode network is a collection of brain areas that are active when our minds wander or when we engage in stimulus-independent thought. Studies have shown that people tend to feel less happy when their minds are wandering, regardless of the activity they are engaged in. Being fully present and focused on the current task or experience is a stronger predictor of happiness than the content of our thoughts.
Matching awareness with activity for happiness
The key to happiness during activities lies in being fully present and engaged in the task at hand. The mismatch between our thoughts and the present moment can lead to unhappiness, even if the thoughts themselves are positive. It is essential to cultivate mindfulness and develop the ability to be fully present in order to optimize well-being and satisfaction in various activities.
Directing Perception and the Importance of Focus
During meditation, it is important to direct our perception to a specific location, either internal or external. By focusing on internal sensations or external stimuli, we can adjust our level of awareness and presence in the moment.
The Role of Breathing in Meditation
Breathing is an integral part of meditation practices. By controlling the depth and cadence of our breaths, we can shift our brain and body states. Inhale-biased breathing patterns promote alertness, while exhale-biased patterns induce relaxation. Deliberate breathwork can enhance the benefits of meditation.
The Continuum of Interoception and Dissociation
Interoception refers to the perception of internal bodily sensations, while dissociation involves a lack of bodily awareness or detachment from physical experiences. Finding the balance between interoception and dissociation is crucial for optimal mental and physical health.
Benefits of Regular Meditation Practices
Meditation offers numerous benefits, such as improved sleep, enhanced focus, reduced inflammation, better mood regulation, and even pain management. Consistency and a deliberate approach to meditation can lead to long-lasting changes in the brain and body, promoting overall well-being.
Understanding the Interoceptive-Dissociative Continuum
The podcast explores the interoceptive-dissociative continuum, which represents a range of states between being fully aware of bodily sensations and being completely disconnected from them. It highlights the importance of finding a balanced position along this continuum for optimal mental health and functioning.
The Role of Meditation in Mental Health and Focus
The podcast discusses how meditation can impact mental health and improve focus. It emphasizes that the type of meditation practiced should be tailored to an individual's interoceptive-exteroceptive bias. For those more inward-focused, an exteroceptive-focused meditation can be beneficial, while those more outward-focused can practice interoceptive-focused meditation.
The Relationship Between Meditation and Sleep
The podcast explores the relationship between meditation and sleep. It suggests that specific practices like Yoga Nidra and NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) can help with sleep-related issues, such as falling asleep or reducing sleep need. However, it highlights the importance of avoiding meditation too close to bedtime to prevent sleep disturbances.
9.
Your ACC, the Enter-Singulate Cortex, Is the Interpreter of What's Going on in Your Body
4min
22.
Do You Pay More Attention to Your Body Sensations or Exteroceptively Dominant?
2min
28.
I Love the Waking Up App and I'd Love to Have Sam on the Podcast to Talk About It
3min
In this episode, I discuss the biological mechanisms of the state changes that occur during different types of meditation and describe how to develop the meditation practice optimal for you. I explain key meditation principles, such as using specific breathwork patterns and adjusting your perception to specific locations along the continuum between interoception, exteroception and dissociation. I discuss how meditation practices lead to long-term trait changes and neuroplasticity, including changing your default mood, reducing baseline anxiety/depression, increasing your ability to focus, enhancing relaxation, improving sleep, and increasing your overall happiness level. I also explain the concept behind the “third-eye center,” what mindfulness is from a biological standpoint, the power of ultra-brief meditations and how to select the best meditation and time and duration to meditate to meet your need. I also explain a novel open-eyed perception-based meditation that may enhance focus, relaxation and task-switching ability. Whether you are a novice or an experienced meditator or simply interested in how our brain controls different aspects of conscious awareness and self-regulation, this episode should interest you.
For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors
AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman
Supplements from Momentous
https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman
Timestamps
(00:00:00) Meditation
(00:04:48) Sponsor: LMNT
(00:08:25) Brief History of Meditation: Consciousness, Psychedelics, fMRI
(00:16:19) How the Brain Interprets the Body & Surrounding Environment; Mindfulness
(00:26:07) Neuroscience of Meditation; Perceptual Spotlights
(00:31:58) Sponsor: AG1
(00:33:41) Interoception vs. Exteroception
(00:42:20) Default Mode Network, Continuum of Interoception & Exteroception
(00:53:30) Tools: Interoceptive or Exteroceptive Bias, Meditation Challenge
(01:01:48) State & Trait Changes, Interoceptive & Exteroceptive Meditations, Refocusing
(01:07:35) Tool: Brief Meditations, Waking Up App
(01:10:30) “Third Eye Center” & Wandering Thoughts
(01:20:46) Meditation: Practice Types, Focal Points & Consistency
(01:24:10) Breathwork: Cyclic Hyperventilation, Box Breathing & Interoception
(01:30:41) Tool: Meditation Breathwork, Cyclic vs. Complex Breathwork
(01:39:22) Interoception vs. Dissociation, Trauma
(01:47:43) Model of Interoception & Dissociation Continuum
(01:53:39) Meditation & Dissociation: Mood, Bias & Corresponding Challenge
(02:00:18) Meditation & Sleep: Yoga Nidra, Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
(02:11:33) Choosing a Meditative Practice; Hypnosis
(02:14:53) Tool: Space-Time Bridging (STB)
(02:25:00) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Social Media
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac
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