Let’s look at some potential implications from habit shifts or routine changes made from the top down.
This means we look at the brain or mind itself, as it governs (consciously or unconsciously) almost everything else we do.
A practice of meditation or mindfulness training has been shown to increase grey matter thickness and cortical folding. It has been shown to improve functioning in areas related to executive functioning, attentional control, self-regulation, sensory processing, memory and regulation of the stress response.
Meditation can help increase attention. It has been shown to reduce activity of the default mode network (DMN), which is active when we are just waiting for something to happen (or have a “wandering mind”).
Mindfulness training improves working memory and the ability to learn new information (through protecting against “proactive interference,” which is when previously relevnt or similar information intrudes on the learning process for new information that you are trying to learn)
I recently had a friend send a message noticing that now after having cultivated a long term practice, his room, workspace and general surroundings are cleaner than ever before. There is more order, “life has become easier to navigate.”
Charles Duhigg talks about “Keystone Habits” in his book “The Power of Habit.” These are habits which have an impact on other areas of your life.
It seems to me that having an “inner” practice alongside a physical one qualifies.
