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

Dr. Elena Antonova is a neuroscientist and senior lecturer in psychology at Brunel University London. <p>Her research focuses on the effects of long-term mindfulness meditation practice in the hope of promoting mental wellbeing in the general population.</p> <p>On this episode, we dive into the different approaches to meditation and the 4 levels of meditation practice development.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>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.<span class= "Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: <a href= "http://bit.ly/afitmind">http://bit.ly/afitmind</a><br /> Website: <a href="http://www.fitmind.co/">www.fitmind.co</a></p> <p>Show Notes</p> <p>0:00 | Introduction to Elena Antonova, PhD</p> <p>4:28 | Categorizing Meditation Practices</p> <p>7:15 | Why Breath Focus is Fundamental</p> <p>10:19 | Constructivist vs. Innateist Approach to Meditation</p> <p>12:08 | 4 Levels of Meditation Practice Development</p> <p>17:12 | Mental Fitness Defined</p> <p>20:19 | Brains of Mental Olympians</p> <p>24:10 | Default Mode Network Differences</p> <p>32:00 | Field of Awareness Described</p> <p>35:45 | Habituation of the Attention System</p> <p>46:45 | Eye Movement Paradigm Study</p> <p>54:00 | Balancing Brain’s Predictive Nature with the Present Moment</p> <p>57:10 | Measurable Changes with Just 10 Minutes a Day</p> <p>59:14 | Rapid Fire Questions</p>