A centuries-old practice known to help with mental, physical and emotional balance may also help to reduce feelings of pain, according to a new study.

Researchers in Montreal say practicing Zen meditation can reinforce a central brain region (anterior cingulate) that regulates pain.

They studied 17 meditators and 18 non-meditators who had never practiced yoga, experienced chronic pain, neurological or psychological illness. The research team measured participants’ thermal pain sensitivity by applying a heated plate to their calves. Subjects then had their brains scanned using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). According to the MRI results, central brain regions that regulate emotion and pain were significantly thicker in meditators compared to non-meditators.

"We found a relationship between cortical thickness and pain sensitivity," said the study’s lead author, Joshua Grant. "The often painful posture associated with Zen meditation may lead to thicker cortex and lower pain sensitivity."

He added that meditative practices may be helpful in general for pain management, for preventing normal age-related grey matter reductions in the brain or potentially for any condition where the brain’s structure is compromised, such as stroke.