Let’s look at the impacts in those who have just begun a meditation practice. When it comes to stress recovery, the evidence for some benefits in the first few months of daily practice are more subjective than objective—and shaky. On the other hand the amygdala, a key node in the brain’s stress circuitry, shows lessened reactivity after thirty or so hours over eight weeks of MBSR practice. Compassion meditation shows stronger benefits from the get-go; as few as seven total hours over the course of two weeks leads to increased connectivity in circuits important for empathy
