For thousands of years, the human mind has been pondered by thousands of philosophers, thinkers, and writers. After all, the mind is what produces thoughts, the problem is those thoughts are very difficult to research.

And because thoughts are so difficult to research and almost impossible to study scientifically, scientists and researchers have for a very long time solely focused on the anatomy of the brain; how it's made and what it's made up of.

So for a very long time these 2 schools of thought remained completely separate from one another. Which wasn't working so well in their attempts at generating a complete picture of the mind.

And that's where Neuroscience comes in. Think of neuroscience as a big tent that serves as a communal area for everyone to get together to share their findings about the brain. So specialists in fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, medicine, anthropology, philosophy, physics, and psychology…are all together, under the Neuroscience tent, telling us more about our minds than ever before.

Most of us were taught, because this is what science thought up until quite recently, that our brains stopped growing and evolving when we hit about 18 years of age. After that, we were simply stuck with the brain we've got and every glass of alcohol we have kills a bunch of cells, so good luck with that, off you go.

Well, neuroscience has flipped this belief on its proverbial head, and discovered abilities like Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis.

"Neuro" represents the brain, and "plasticity", is for plastic, insinuating that our minds are maliable like plastic. This means that it is possible for us to actively play a role in shaping our minds, no matter how old we are.

"Neurogenesis", means "birth of neurons", and is the process responsible for building our brains. This process is most active during pre-natal development, but has been recently shown to continue in several small parts of the brain of mammals.

Your brain stem is a very powerful area of your brain that controls basic functions like your heart rate, sleeping and breathing. Breathing exercises have the power to directly affect that area of the brain and lower your heart rate, and since the brain stem then sends its messages to the area of your brain where you experience stress, you can actively produce a relaxed feeling and enable your body's immune system to work more effectively.

You bet it can.

In a 2003 study at Ohio State University, found that just ONE MONTH of meditation, boosted natural killer cells, giving participants a greater resistance to tumours and to viruses.

And after two months of meditation, test subjects bodies began to change: the genes that help fight inflammation, kill diseased cells, and protect the body from cancer…all began to switch on.

A study at Harvard Medical School led by Dr. Herbert Benson, found that meditation lowered blood pressure in a very similar way to blood pressure-lowering medication.

In a study published in January, 2014, Dr. Mahdav Goyal of the John Hopkins University found that meditation appears to provide as much relief from some anxiety and depression symptoms as antidepressants.

Researchers have also proven that meditators benefit from:

• LOWER STRESS LEVELS
• EMOTIONAL BALANCE - CONTROL OVER EMOTIONS
• CALMNESS
• INCREASED FERTILITY
• RELIEF OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
• INCREASED FOCUS & CONCENTRATION
• MORE EFFECTIVE SLEEP PATTERNS
• INCREASED ENERGY
• HEIGHTENED ACCURACY of JUDGMENT

Because it truly is, scientifically proven, to be good for you. Meditation is a daily practice that is easy and fast enough to incorporate into any schedule. It has the power to improve your brain function, strengthen your immune system, improve your digestion and actually re-wire you to be happier.

Everyone, and anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle, can benefit physically, emotionally and mentally from learning these techniques. .

The key to learning meditation is having authentic information that resonates with YOU.

The MindSavvy program wasn't designed to teach you anything "new". The science about the brain is out there, in books and reports and studies and journals. And all the information you could ever want on meditation is available to you through retreats, courses, books, DVD's and websites. Which can be informative, but somewhat overwhelming. Especially if you lead a busy life.

This is why we created MindSavvy. Just because you're busy, or not a scientist or don't have the time or inclination to spend your vacation time at a meditation retreat in the desert, does not mean you shouldn't be benefitting from the knowledge, awareness and techniques that can transform your life for the better. So we've filtered through the research, asked the tough questions, and put it all down into plain and simple English, to teach you quickly, what you need to know about your brain; how it responds to the stress of your busy, modern life, and how that response affects the health of your thoughts and your body. We then teach you the techniques and practices that can strengthen key areas of the brain most effectively, that enable you to rest and digest, that provide more energy, and that can literally turn on disease fighting genes.

We also provide you with the knowledge and tools to get you through some of those really tough moments, when slamming a door or telling somebody off just feels right…until you do it.

Definitely not when practiced the MindSavvy way. Mindfulness Meditation is a deeply practical set of techniques that can benefit anyone. There will be no religious references, connotations or affiliations throughout the MindSavvy programs.

We believe that anyone and everyone can learn and benefit from the practice. The MindSavvy approach is practical, rooted in science, and designed to enhance the effectiveness, health and well-being of your 21st Century life.

Not even for a second! The MindSavvy practices are designed to be practiced while you sit in a chair. A position we all find ourselves in for much or our days anyway.

Simply sit in any chair, at your desk, in your kitchen, on the train, plane, or any random chair really. Pop in your head phones or don't.

You can wear whatever it is you're already wearing. You don't need to take off your shoes, you don't need to shave your head, light incense and candles, chant, or eat granola. You don't need to sit on the floor, cross-legged either, but hey, if you're comfortable down there feel free!

We do however suggest that you sit upright in an alert but relaxed position. We will provide you with guidance throughout our time together and online with your daily practice tools.

A growing number of the busiest, most successful people in the world of sport, entertainment, politics, and business make the time to practice meditation regularly. It definitely isn't because they have loads of spare time. They make the time to practice because it improves their performance, their health, their communication, their effectiveness and ultimately their relationships.

The practice of awareness and mindfulness meditation is actually quite the opposite of being selfish. You may be taking 10 or 15 minutes to yourself, but given the incredible benefits of meditation, you're in so many ways doing a favour for absolutely everyone you cross paths with. Regular meditation allows you to become more aware of your emotions, and how to manage them. You will you will be more patient, and more aware of the people and environments around you, and you won't be distracted from the task at hand. Whether it's your co-workers, clients, friends, family members or fellow commuters out on the road or in line right there along with you, you will find that your practice of awareness and mindfulness will support you in your navigation of your days, strengthening the quality of your relationships.

Does that sound selfish to you?