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Spotlight on Sara Lazar
Neurobiology Researcher
Neurobiology Researcher
©2007, RiverWays Enterprises
All rights reserved
As
a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital, neurobiologist Sara Lazar
looks at how the practice of yoga and meditation effects emotions and
cognitive performance. In a recent study, her team used magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) on frequent meditators to determine if regular meditation
practice actually changes the physical structure of the brain. Compared
to a control group of people who do not meditate, those who meditate showed
greater thickness in parts of the cortex, the area of the brain thought
to be involved in integrating emotional and cognitive processes.
In practical terms, Sara’s research offers solid evidence
that meditation can result in positive changes in how we think and feel.
Her results give further evidence to a growing body of research which
indicates that yoga and meditation can reduce anxiety and increase our
ability to stay present and focused.
“All you’re doing is sitting and watching your breath, and
all these wonderful things happen,” Sara reflects.
Interestingly, being still and watching the breath have turned out to be two of the most important aspects of Sara’s work with Carla Kimball. Since Sara often presents her findings to large groups of researchers and mental-health professionals, she came to Carla to work on her public speaking technique. Through Carla’s SpeakingPresence sessions and one-on-one coaching, Sara learned to use the foundational skills of yoga and meditation in ways she’d never thought about before.
“Carla created a practical forum for those skills,” Sara says. “I tend to talk very fast, so the most important things for me are to get centered and grounded before I give my talk, and to stay in touch with my mind, body, and breath during the talk as well. We practiced building pauses into the rhythm of the talk to get re-centered and reconnected.”
When Sara addressed a group of 1,200 mental-health professionals and professors in October 2007 as part of UCLA’s continuing education series, she put her new methods to work, remembering to pause and breathe each time the slide changed. She even stayed calm despite the fact that the bright spotlights prevented her from making eye contact with people in the audience.
“I couldn’t see them, so I tried to imagine their faces and communicate directly to them,” she says. “I was holding onto a rock that Carla had given me as a reminder of the earth element, and I stayed very grounded in my feet and in my breath, and felt very aware that it was going well.”
Those attending the presentation took away an increased understanding of how contemplative practices like yoga and meditation can change people’s lives in deep and scientifically quantifiable ways. Sara left with a recognition of just how powerful the principles of these practices can be in providing tools for effectively communicating her research to the world.
To learn more about Sara and the results of her research visit her online
at https://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~lazar/.
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