# #84: The Brain of a Mental Olympian - Elena Antonova, PhD

An episode of [The FitMind Podcast: Mental Fitness, Neuroscience & Psychology](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1461518124), 21 Dec 2021, 1 h 06 min.

Audio: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/fitmind/Dr_Elena_Antonova-FitMind_Podcast-Libsyn_Ver.mp3?dest-id=1244303

Dr. Elena Antonova is a neuroscientist and senior lecturer in psychology at Brunel University London. Her research focuses on the effects of long-term mindfulness meditation practice in the hope of promoting mental wellbeing in the general population. On this episode, we dive into the different approaches to meditation and the 4 levels of meditation practice development. We also discuss what goes on in the brains of elite meditators and what it takes for the average person to reap the benefits from a meditation practice. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com Show Notes 0:00 | Introduction to Elena Antonova, PhD 4:28 | Categorizing Meditation Practices 7:15 | Why Breath Focus is Fundamental 10:19 | Constructivist vs. Innateist Approach to Meditation 12:08 | 4 Levels of Meditation Practice Development 17:12 | Mental Fitness Defined 20:19 | Brains of Mental Olympians 24:10 | Default Mode Network Differences 32:00 | Field of Awareness Described 35:45 | Habituation of the Attention System 46:45 | Eye Movement Paradigm Study 54:00 | Balancing Brain's Predictive Nature with the Present Moment 57:10 | Measurable Changes with Just 10 Minutes a Day 59:14 | Rapid Fire Questions

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