“Religious meditations often involve explicit and effortful regulation of attention…The mind wanders quite naturally, so bringing it back to focus narrowly on one’s breathing builds mental discipline. When neuroscientists observe people praying or meditating, they see strong brain activity in two parts of the brain that are also important for self-regulation and control of attention. Psychologists see an effect when they expose people to religious words subliminally, meaning that the words are flashed on a screen so quickly that the people aren’t consciously aware of what they’ve seen. People who are subliminally exposed to words like God or Bible become slower to recognize words associated with temptations like drugs or premarital sex. It looks as if people come to associate religion with tamping down these temptations says McCullough, who suggests that prayers and meditation rituals are a kind of anaerobic workout for self-control.”

I love this quote and the image that prayer can be an anaerobic workout for self control. The faith community has known this for years. We go to the gym to exercise our body and we sit in silence and solitude to meditate to build our mental and spiritual muscles.

Meditation and prayer is not just about communication and the Creator. One study found that three hours of meditation practice leads to improved focus and self-control in your daily life.

I have discovered these benefits years ago in my life personally. I start each day with a plan block of time that includes reading, prayer, and meditation. The focus and calmness of each day is noticeably improved.

TODAY is a good day to begin the discipline of prayer and meditation!