Mindfulness meditation caught the interest of the neuroscientist community, not only because of is increasing popularity, but also because of the mounting evidence of benefits in mental health, enhanced self-awareness, relaxation, more focused attention, positive shifts in mood and improved well-being. Neuroscientists are also interested in understanding the biological mechanisms that cause neuroplasticity changes in the structure and function of brain regions involved in the regulation of attention, emotion, and self-awareness.

During the past decade, numerous neuroimaging studies have investigated changes in brain morphology related to the practice of mindfulness. In an attempt to consolidate the findings, one meta-analysis pooled data from 21 neuroimaging studies examining the brains of about 300 experienced meditation practitioners. The study found that eight brain regions of these experienced mindfulness practitioners were consistently altered. The consistent brain alterations occurred in the prefrontal cortex--associated with introspection, processing of complex abstract information and meta-awareness (awareness of how you think). The insular cortex--associated with the processing of sensory information such as touch, pain and body awareness. The hippocampus involved in memory formation and facilitating emotional responses. The anterior cingulate cortex--involved in attention, emotional regulation, self-regulation and self-control. And the corpus callosum--involved in communicating within and between brain hemispheres. People participating in mindfulness meditation programs experienced less anxiety, depression, and pain, and reduced negative emotions and neuroticism. A number of brain-imaging studies support the hypothesis that mindfulness meditation:

• Strengthens prefrontal higher order cognitive (thinking) processes which in turn modulate activity in brain regions relevant to emotion processing, such as the amygdala.
• Strongly activates the insular cortex, representing amplified awareness of the now moment, more positive self-representation and higher self-esteem. This shift in self-awareness is one of the major beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation.

In a research study named "Mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference", the neuroscientist Norman Farb, from the University of Toronto, in 2007, broke new ground in our understanding of mindfulness from a neuroscience perspective. Farb and his colleagues studied how human beings experience their own moment-to-moment experience. With their study they discovered that people interact with the world using two different networks: the default network and the direct experience network.

The default network includes regions of the medial prefrontal cortex, along with memory regions such as the hippocampus. This network is called default because it becomes active when nothing very important is happening and you become distracted thinking about yourself. For instance, when you are enjoying your vacation on a beautiful sunny beach, watching the sunset, instead of enjoying the now moment where you find yourself thinking about what restaurant to choose for dinner, and if they have your favorite wine and the oysters that your partner loves. This is your default network in action. It is the network involved in planning, daydreaming, and ruminating. In the Farb study they like to call the default network the narrative circuitry, because the default network also becomes active when you think about yourself or other people--you are mulling about your history and your future and all the people you know, including yourself, and how this giant network of information weaves together. When you experience the world using this narrative network, you take in information from the outside world, process it through a filter of what everything means, and add your interpretations. Sitting on the beach with your narrative circuit active, the sunset is not a sunset, but a sign that your day will be over soon, which puts you thinking about where to go for dinner, and whether the restaurant has your favorite wine and the oyster for your partner. The default network is active for most of your waking moments and doesn't take much effort to operate. There's nothing wrong with this network--the point here is you don't want to limit yourself to only experiencing the world through this network.

The direct experience network includes the insular cortex, a region that relates to perceiving bodily sensations and the anterior cingulate cortex is also activated, which is a region central to switching your attention. When this direct experience network is activated, you are not thinking intently about the past or future, other people, or yourself, or considering much at all. Rather, you are living in the now, experiencing information coming into your senses in real time. Sitting on the beach, your attention is on the warmth of the sun on your skin, the cool breeze in your hair, your partner's scent and the beauty of the sunset. When the direct experience network is active, several different brain regions become more active.

These two circuits, narrative and direct experience, are inversely correlated. In other words, if you think about an upcoming meeting while you drive your car, you are more likely to overlook a person crossing on the "zebra"--the brain map involved in visual perception is less active when the narrative map is activated. You don't see, hear, feel or sense anything as much when you are lost in thought. Even your favorite wine doesn't taste as good, in this state. Luckily, this scenario works both ways. When you focus your attention on incoming data, such as the feeling of the cold wind on your face while you drive, it reduces activation of the narrative circuitry. This explains why, for example, if your narrative circuitry is going crazy worrying about an upcoming stressful event, it helps to take a deep breath and focus on the present moment.

The direct experience network allows you to get closer to reality. You perceive more information about events occurring around you, and more accurate information about these events. Noticing more real-time information makes you more flexible in how you respond to the world. You also become less trapped in the past, old habits, expectations or assumptions, and are more able to respond to events as they unfold. In the Farb experiment, regular mindfulness meditators, had stronger differentiation between the two paths. They knew which path they were on at any time, and could switch between them more easily. Whereas people who had not practiced noticing these paths were more likely to automatically take the narrative path.

Long-term mindfulness meditators are more aware of their unconscious processes. Thus, they have more cognitive control, and a greater ability to shape what they do and what they say, compared to short-term or non-meditators. If you are on the sunny beach and you are a mindfulness practitioner, you are able to notice that you are missing a lovely day worrying about tonight's dinner, and focus your attention onto the warm sun instead. When you make this change in your attention, you change the functioning of your brain, and this can have a long-term impact on how your brain works too. Though, we need to keep being reminded about being mindful. Why? According to the leading mindfulness researcher John Teasdale:

Practicing mindfulness is important and easy. You can practice mindfulness while you are eating, walking, talking, or any daily activity just focusing your attention into the details of what you are doing, for instance, if walking--hold your attention to the feeling of your foot on the floor and practice a deep, smooth, and rhythmic breathing. Building a mindfulness practice does not mean you have to sit still. You can find a way that suits your lifestyle. Though, whatever practice you do develop, practice it. The more mindful you become, the better decisions you will make.