Harvard study
In a Harvard study by Sara Lazar, she proves that “Meditation literally changes your brain” A few years ago, when I had first started to teach Yoga, I learned about the effect of yoga on the Autonomic Nervous System and the brain, namely the Amygdala. I realized how positive thoughts and hence emotions reduced stress. Now, after having practiced Meditation, (Transcendental Meditation – TM to be specific) and studying Neuroscience, I realized how true and backed in science and research this really is and I will go further to say that since meditation can change our brains it can surely change our lives easily and effortlessly! Meditation truly is the way for us to live in a better world. It literally changes the structure of our brains, reduces the size of our Amygdala and hence allows us to be more responsive rather than reactive which to me is the key to conscious evolution!
We Are One
What has become a profound truth for me is that when we meditate we dip ourselves in the part of the ocean which is pure consciousness – unity consciousness, where we are one. If we do it regularly we subconsciously plant the seeds of our deepest desires in that unified ocean and our most desired life manifests automatically, we start living a life of purpose.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi refers to this science as an ocean of pure consciousness. In Vedic science the ocean of pure consciousness is called “Atma,” the self; “Know thyself.” … Deep meditation allows you to dive deep within yourself and reach the ocean of pure consciousness.
Intentions = Results
Our deepest desires, our life purpose should be in the driver’s seat of our lives, as it is the compass that inspires us to take action which in turn will invoke reactions from our outside world, hence our desires or intentions do equal our outcomes. So why do we have results of outcomes we don’t like in ourselves in our lives? This is because we have underlying automatic commitments or intentions.
When we are not aware of this, we allow our underlying limiting commitments which are based in our fears to rule our lives, creating more mistrust and havoc around us and giving us more reason to blame and feel helpless.
The frequency and duration of those spaces determine your ability to enjoy life, to feel an inner connectedness with other human beings as well as nature – Eckhart Tolle
Neuroscience research suggests that negative thoughts can over-stimulate the Amygdala (the small almond-shaped set of neurons located deep in the brain’s medial temporal lobe which can be responsible for more fear, stress, and panic). An over-active Amygdala reduces the space that we have between a stimulus and response, we react to situations and often later say, “I wasn’t myself” The double whammy is that this in turn also shuts down our physical ability to release serotonin in our brains, which is a contributor to us being able to think positively and creatively. On the flip-side, when we practice regular meditation, the amygdala shrinks in size and our ability to choose a compassionate, helpful response which is aligned with our higher desires and purpose increases. We then have more “space” in which to choose instead 
of reacting unreasonably and causing damage to our relationships.
Between stimulus and response, there is space. In that space is the power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
– Victor E. Frankl
Re-membering that we are one, reconnecting with the ocean of oneness to me is our soul’s purpose. (I deliberately hyphenated “re-member” to remind myself that to member is to become one, and to re-member is to reconnect with self.) When we meditate we shift from trying to get our needs met and fearing that they may not be met to living in abundance with trust, love, and compassion for all souls. When we plant our deepest desires in the ocean of oneness, no individual desire would be completely self-serving and because it serves the collective good, it will manifest!
fMRI: Restoration of balanced brain functioning. Chronic and/or traumatic stress shuts down the prefrontal cortex (“higher brain”) and causes chronic excitation of the amygdala (“fear center”). TM practice deactivates the amygdala and surrounding subcortical structures (blue, above), and stimulates activity in the prefrontal cortex (orange). https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/harvard-researchers-study-how-mindfulness-may-change-the-brain-in-depressed-patients/
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