For many people, the new year is a great time to start meditating. We won’t hold you back! Like a muscle that needs regular workouts to get stronger, your brain needs disciplined training to learn to be present and relax. “Every time we come back to the present, we are increasing our mental strength,” says Tom Gaylord, director of the Seattle Shambhala Meditation Center. Meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress, and lead to more empathy, cognitive ability and an improvement in memory. A Harvard study showed that after eight weeks of mindfulness training, people’s brains showed a decrease in density in the amygdala, known to play a role in anxiety and stress.