Dr. Resh Gupta, Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Mindfulness Science and Practice Cluster and the Cognitive Control and Psychopathology Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, studies how mindfulness practices affect the brain.

Mindfulness practices are more popular than ever, from transcendental meditation to yoga and breathing exercises. But with so many options available, an important question remains: does the type of mindfulness practice actually make a difference?

Some techniques focus attention on a single object, like the breath, while others encourage open awareness, allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go without judgment. In this episode, Dr. Gupta explains how researchers are using functional MRI to observe brain activity in people with anxiety as they practice different forms of mindfulness, helping scientists understand why certain techniques may work better than others.