Pre-Departure Critique

My intentions while traveling to India will be to explore the idea of applying meditation practices in order to aid the symptoms of depression and anxiety. This journey will delve into the meaning of incorporating these practices into one's daily life and how they can be a useful tool in expanding one's understanding of how depression and anxiety affects one's mental well-being. Specifically, I will be gearing my studies towards a younger demographic, which are exposed to a novelty of influences such as the Internet and social media, as well as globalization. With the cultural immersion in such a spiritual place, I expect to understand with greater depth the role that mindfulness practice plays in youth mental health. In addition, I am hoping to cultivate further insight on how a yoga practices shapes the way these populations view mental health and what ideas they have about it. Yoga in the Western sense usually refers to the physical practice of maneuvering one's body into a series of postures, but in the Hindu sense it is more of a lifestyle that extends far beyond exercise and includes moral integrity and ways of practicing compassion. Having returned recently from a yoga teacher training, I'm excited to apply the knowledge I've recently acquired and apply it into this exploration of a Western lens into Eastern philosophy and find the differences and similarities between the two.

With the emerging research on the usefulness of meditation and mindful practices for mental health, it would be interesting to see the application of these techniques that have been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The reduction of stress, anxiety and depression symptoms are among the most examined in these studies and have shown a decreased number when correlated with these practices. I find it interesting, specifically, that through the practice of allowing the mind to be free and simply observe the thoughts and sensations that arise, one can be more liberated from the cyclical nature of negative thought loops. A study conducted by Parmentier et al. (2019) demonstrated this correlation through observing individuals that partake in mindfulness practice and those that do not and gauged their levels of stress, anxiety, and depression through a variety of mechanisms and found that there is a significantly lower level for those that were part of the mindful sample. This particular paper is just one of many that are highlighting the benefits of what the yogis have been doing for centuries. In addition, many have taken it a step further and began taking brain scans of monks and advanced meditators and have found results that indicate high levels of activity of frontal/prefrontal regions (Baron Short et al., 2007). This suggests that these individuals have a higher control over their attention centers and can bring their awareness back to the present moment through this practice. Having domain over one's awareness is key in breaking out of thought patterns that may exacerbate one's stressful situation and can create a new dimension on viewing the present reality. Rewiring these thought structures, however, can even influence the very shape of the brain and has been demonstrated to promote neuroplasticity (Davidson & Lutz, 2010).

All of this scientific evidence is the indication that the Western scientific mind is finally catching up to what the yogis have long already known and understood. Hence, my interest in bridging this gap between what has already been understood into a world where we can know this and be conscious of how we can shape our thoughts and our feelings through the practice of being an observer.

Specifically, I would like to understand how these ancient practices are being implemented into youth culture and how it is regarded for younger generations, considering the rise of globalization and the uprise of consumerism/capitalistic ways of thinking. Although I will be seeking insight from a younger demographic such as teens and young adults, I would also like to explore the perspective from older individuals to understand how they view this issue from the outside. This would entail inquiring about habits of the youth and what their days look like, as well as opening a dialogue about how they feel with the rise of technology and its dissemination of Western culture and how that's effected their proximity to the practices of their own culture. These same rhetorics could be applied to the older demographic, which I am inclined to include individuals from temples and ashrams in order to get a fuller understanding on how they view this issue from a spiritual/religious context.

I am particularly interested in this topic because of my own personal experience and how the practice of mindfulness has impacted me. Not only has it inspired within me the motivation to seek further the integration of these practices into my reality, but to spread the usefulness and benefits of including them within your life. Especially visiting such a holy land would be the best opportunity to get a greater scope of understanding on how much has been done and what else has to be done in order to continue unraveling the mysteries of the human condition. My personal concerns about exploring this research in India include creating a sense of curiosity and fostering an open mind, allowing myself to receive with no judgment and simply allowing the experience to unravel itself as organically as possible. Although I am very passionate about this subject and consider myself rather opinionated at times, I am in full disposition to suspend my beliefs in order to allow a moment of learning at its maximum potential. I am aware of the color of my skin and the privilege that it is to be in invited into this space so I am grateful for all the knowledge I can be allowed to received through my exploration. Above all, I am simply grateful to be embraced as a Westerner and shown the way of life of a culture which I deeply appreciate and admire.

References

Baron Short E, Kose S, Mu Q, Borckardt J, Newberg A, George MS, Kozel FA. Regional brain activation during meditation shows time and practice effects: an exploratory FMRI study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2010 Mar;7(1):121-7. doi: 10.1093/ecam/nem163. Epub 2007 Dec 27. PMID: 18955268; PMCID: PMC2816391.

Davidson RJ, Lutz A. Buddha's Brain: Neuroplasticity and Meditation. IEEE Signal Process Mag. 2008 Jan 1;25(1):176-174. doi: 10.1109/msp.2008.4431873. PMID: 20871742; PMCID: PMC2944261.

Parmentier FBR, García-Toro M, García-Campayo J, Yañez AM, Andrés P, Gili M. Mindfulness and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in the General Population: The Mediating Roles of Worry, Rumination, Reappraisal and Suppression. Front Psychol. 2019 Mar 8;10:506. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00506. PMID: 30906276; PMCID: PMC6418017.