Adult Religious Exploration – Neurobiology of Meditation
Sunday, April 2, at 9 am in the Annex
(coffee available at 8:45 am)

During the past several decades there has been a considerable amount of research on the effects of meditation on the brain. This talk will provide a practical understanding of how various meditation practices can change neural circuits in the brain and lead to associated changes in emotions and behaviors in one’s daily life. First, we will review some basic principles of how neural circuits are formed and can be changed along with general structure and function of different areas of the brain. Then we will examine the neural circuits involved in different types of meditation such as mindfulness and compassion meditations and how these change with continued practice.

Deana Bodnar has a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from UC Berkeley and was a research associate in the Section of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University for 11 years. She then made a change in career and became a Licensed Master of Social Work and has worked in social services for the past 17 years. Deana routinely reads research literature on neuroscience of
various meditation practices as well as mindfulness-based interventions used in mental health and substance use disorder treatment. She has been a student and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism at Namgyal Monastery for over 20 years.