By: Colin Allen
Summary: The brain waves of meditators show why they're healthier. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex—brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.

Maybe meditation isn't so mysterious after all. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex - brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recorded the brain waves of stressed-out employees of a high-tech firm in Madison, Wisconsin. The subjects were split randomly into two groups, 25 people were asked to learn meditation over eight weeks, and the remaining 16 were left alone as a control group.

All participants had their brain waves scanned three times during the study: at the beginning of the experiment, when meditation lessons were completed eight weeks later and four months after that. The researchers found that the meditators showed a pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.

Self Confidence & The Komuso System Ý

Practising a martial art helps to improve self confidence.  The syllabus sets achievable goals for students gradually increasing in difficulty as their ability improves.

As students achieve goals and their skill level increases so does their self confidence.

Continued achievement of goals allows the student a positive mental image of their ability.  This further increases their chances of achieving more difficult goals.

Benefits of Self-Confidence Ý

Increased Self confidence;

•  Arouses positive emotions Improves concentration
   

• Affects the setting & pursuit of challenging goals
   

• Increases effort affects game strategies
   

• Affects psychological momentum

Junanshin (~ a malleable mind) Ý

If you want to learn something, you will have to open up your mind for the ideas of the other person. Openness is a must to learn something.

To learn budo is something you can easily fill you life with and you will never stop learning. Picking up some quick tricks has nothing to do with budo.

Maybe there is a deeper meaning with the exercise you have to repeat, that may not seem very logical at first.

Humbleness is a very good quality. The arrogance about your knowledge of budo is not productive and hinders your development.

Muga Mushin ( ~ an empty mind)  Ý

When someone begins to practice a martial art and learns his first techniques, he will have to think hard to remember what his sensei told him, where to look, how to move and so on.

Someone who has practised martial arts for many years often does not have to think anymore. He moves and reacts naturally and adjusts his defences according to the attacks.

In a confrontation an assailant does not think, so in defence, thought slows the reaction to the attack.  The martial artist should strive to develop an empty mind so they may respond intuitively to such a situation.

Zanshin (~ a state of awareness)  Ý 

The concept of zanshin actually contains some of the other principals dealt with later on, for instance kiai, metsuke, shisei and kime.