#84: The Brain of a Mental Olympian - Elena Antonova, PhD

The FitMind Podcast: Mental Fitness, Neuroscience & Psychology

Dr. Elena Antonova is a neuroscientist and senior lecturer in psychology at Brunel University London.

Her research focuses on the effects of long-term mindfulness meditation practice in the hope of promoting mental wellbeing in the general population.

On this episode, we dive into the different approaches to meditation and the 4 levels of meditation practice development.

We also discuss what goes on in the brains of elite meditators and what it takes for the average person to reap the benefits from a meditation practice.

FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Show Notes

0:00 | Introduction to Elena Antonova, PhD

4:28 | Categorizing Meditation Practices

7:15 | Why Breath Focus is Fundamental

10:19 | Constructivist vs. Innateist Approach to Meditation

12:08 | 4 Levels of Meditation Practice Development

17:12 | Mental Fitness Defined

20:19 | Brains of Mental Olympians

24:10 | Default Mode Network Differences

32:00 | Field of Awareness Described

35:45 | Habituation of the Attention System

46:45 | Eye Movement Paradigm Study

54:00 | Balancing Brain’s Predictive Nature with the Present Moment

57:10 | Measurable Changes with Just 10 Minutes a Day

59:14 | Rapid Fire Questions