Meditation is critically important to a healthy lifestyle, and to overall brain health in general. The research is growing and irrefutable. If you’re new to meditation, an easy way to start is with the Headspace app or Calm app on your phone. Start small, 5-8 min/day. It takes about 6 weeks before you notice the positive impact (may just be boring at first), but it has excellent research behind it, so stick with it. If you're like me and like gadgets and real time feedback, check out the Muse Headset which gives you feedback on the quality of your meditation sessions using real-time brain waves. It also measures and tracks heart rate variability which is one of our best ways to evaluate the functioning of our parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system, which most Americans are weak in.
