Your brain on meditation

Mindfulness meditation is a growing form of meditation in Western culture that has been theorized to advance certain areas of the brain, specifically the relationship between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. The amygdala is responsible for generating emotions whereas the pre-frontal cortex is involved in introspection and decision-making; the prefrontal cortex is known as the inhibitory center. The amygdala receives the emotional signals and directs them to the prefrontal cortex where planning and decisions are conducted. The prefrontal cortex is expert at analyzing and planning, but varies from each individual. The amygdala from an evolutionary standpoint is older and makes rapid survival judgments, which has a powerful effect on human emotions as well as behavior. For instance, the amygdala will trigger a fight or flight response long before the prefrontal cortex responds i.e. being mugged, falling, etc. Through the practice of meditation one can advance the amygdala and prefrontal lobes to react more responsively and with a more advanced ability to plan for varying situations that may be encountered in daily life.