What is meant by settling into the space while meditating

Experiments suggest that Buddhist monks have really robust connections between scattered regions of their brains, which allows for more synchronized communication.

Dr. Richard Davidson , PhD

(Psychologist, Neuroscientist) 

(University of Wisconsin)

Dr. Richard Davidson says that

science has contributed to our understanding of the effects of meditation on the brain and body the research that we've done on meditation in the brain has focused on two major domains that meditation actually affects one is attention and the other is emotion and what we have discovered is that the circuits in the brain that are important for regulating both attention and emotion can be transformed by meditation

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In the studies, meditators have scored higher on tests of attention and working memory, which is the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information in one's mind.

How does meditation changed our brain 👒

Researchers have known for decades that meditation can improve someone's physical and mental health. It can relieve stress, lower blood pressure and lift someone's mood. But only in the last few years have neuroscientists taken a serious look at the changes in brain structure underlying some of meditation's benefits.

Like everything else we do, meditation rewires our neural circuits. Pruning away the least used connections and strengthening the ones we exercise most.

Studies looking for signs of these changes usually focus on "mindfulness meditation" which challenges people to keep their attention fixed on the thoughts and sensations in the present moment.

Scientists acknowledge that these studies are small and not ideally designed, but at this point researchers have gathered enough evidence to be confident that their findings are not just flukes.

Experiments suggest that Buddhist monks have really robust connections between scattered regions of their brains, which allows for more synchronized communication.

Expert meditators also seem to develop an especially

wrinkly cortex: the brain's outer layer.

We depend on the cortex for many of our most sophisticated mental abilities like abstract thought and introspection. Several studies have confirmed that meditation can increase the volume and density of the hippocampus: a seahorse- shaped area of the brain in the middle of the skull

that is absolutely crucial for memory.

And although areas of the brain responsible for sustaining attention usually shrink as we age, meditation counteracts this decay. An increasing number of studies show that meditating for as little as 12 to 20 minutes a day for several weeks can sharpen the mind. 

During meditation, how can we be aware of space?

Brian Jones a 50 Year Meditator and Heartfulness Trainer says that "You may be having a desire for the infinite to be described to you in the way that you imagine it - like space. This is not the case. It is very hard to grasp what the actual condition of the infinite is as it has no time-space dimension.

It definitely can happen that you get a glimpse of the cosmos.  This will feel like you are spread out throughout the universe. However, this is not a measure of one’s spiritual progress. It happens without notice and when you don’t expect it. It is nice to experience this once or twice but these types of

experiences can be a distraction to the real objective. You can say a small prayer before meditation that you would like to have a glimpse of the universe but then you have to  forget it and get on with the job. Otherwise, you will “looking”  to see something. This experience is not related to seeing with the eyes.

I personally would not make this a goal of your meditation practice  but yes, there is no doubt that it is a special thing to behold "

 Kane Mantyla, he has 30 years expeience of meditating and mastering consciousness he says that "Consciousness has many faculties and spacial awareness is one of them.  Anyone can fill a space with consciousness. The question is, does it have feedback? Meaning, do you get any information from that space.

If the space is within your body, your nerves will be that feedback, so you can move  your awareness through your body and receive information back letting you know you are doing it. Spacial awareness requires at least 4 points of consciousness. Consider a tetrahedron  as the simplest form that consciousness can fill. If the spacial awareness is inside the body, one isn’t required to create those 4 points be cause by softening their awareness, they can simply expand it inside their body using  the existing nerves as feedback.

To do this, simply bring your awareness to a single point in the body, then soften the boundaries of that point and let it expand. You can easily feel the whole body at once doing that. One easy way to feel the entire body is to start feeling the palms, then also feel the soles of  the feet, then soften to expand into the entire body.

For spacial awareness outside the body without feedback, create 4 points of consciousness and soften  to allow your consciousness to flow within those points.

Do this around different objects and experience the different qualities of consciousness of each. There is no direct feedback in the body, so you will think you are imagining it and you are, but maybe it is real too"