Brain activity is greater during meditation than during periods of idle rest, refuting the idea that meditation is used to empty the mind – according to a study by neuroscientists from Norway and Australia.

Scientists from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, The University of Oslo and The University of Sydney used functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) scanning to determine what goes on in the brain during Acem Meditation – mindful relaxation technique based on modern psychology and scientific research.

This is a non-directive meditation technique which allows spontaneously-occurring thoughts, images, sensations, memories and emotions to pass freely through the mind, even when attention is effortlessly focused on the mental repetition of a soothing meaningless vowel and consonant meditation sound. This method is thought to facilitate mental processing of emotional experiences, thereby contributing to wellness and stress management. 14 experienced practitioners of this technique took part in the study.

The predominant resting system in the brain is called the ‘default mode network’ which is responsible for our wandering mind. Interestingly, the research found that this wandering mind mode is activated on a greater level during meditation than when the mind is resting normally.

The study highlighted that the resting brain simply activates other networks than it does when one concentrates or attends to an external task. The ‘default mode network’ is considerably less active when the spontaneous flow of wandering thoughts is restricted by a more concentrated focus of attention during concentrative meditation – not common to non-directive Acem meditation.

The areas of the brain which are less activated during concentrative meditation include those involved in processing memories and emotions.

The results of this study were published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.