What is
Mindfulness?
Mindfulness?
Finding Peace in a Frantic World
|
Meditation is very simple but finding complete peace and acceptance in silent practice can be a great challenge for many people. We have created cultures of living that do not allow for self reflection and moments of peace and we all need time and space to unwind our minds in order to remain happy and healthy.
Meditation is a state of complete peace and oneness. In order to move towards this state we use techniques such as mindfulness, the breath, mantra, mudra and visualisation. These techniques are often very simple and aim to create a way of working through the barriers that we may have to finding complete peace and well-being in our meditative practice. Mindfulness is focusing one's awareness on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. It can be practiced any time of day and there is plenty of research to support it's positive effects. |
|
Who is mindfulness and meditation suitable for and what are the benefits?
|
Meditation and mindfulness is suitable for anyone but needs to be tailored to suit age and emotional/mental well-being. Young children are to practice fun and more lively visualisation with more active involvement and even physical movements. As we progress into the teen age group breathing techniques are introduced and personal practice is encouraged. Adults are able to engage in a full range of approaches and will hopefully be more disciplined to deepen and further their own practice.
People suffering from stress, anxiety and any emotional imbalance will potentially find (with dedicated practice) that meditation and mindfulness can reduce these symptoms and create a more balanced self. Key areas this kind of practice can help with is exam stress in teens and work/family challenges for adults. Results will vary from person to person and mindfulness is very much a practice of self discovery. It is not something that is directly taught but more facilitated, with the best results achieved from a personal interest and desire to reach a greater state of peace. |
|
|
With persistence mindfulness and meditation can potentially influence the following:
Increased relaxation and feelings of being at peace with yourself and the world Improved focus and concentration Better understanding of your emotions and anger management Increased self awareness Reduced anxiety and stress levels Increased compassion for yourself and others Dealing with outer and inner-conflict With openness and acceptance mindfulness and meditation can complement other religions and belief systems. It is however not recommended if you have any severe emotional or mental heath issues (in this case you must seek the advice of your doctor or related health care professional first). |
|
Where and how to practice?
|
Meditation is often best practiced in the morning when the mind is rested from sleep and provides an excellent way to focus and calm the mind before beginning your day. Evenings are also an excellent time to practice and will allow the mind to unwind and process the day. It is always better to find a safe, warm, quiet and comforting space to practice meditation although it should be understood that it is not about escaping the world. Meditation is more about finding peace with your surroundings whatever they are and being able to focus even when there are distracting sounds around you.
Mindfulness can be practiced any time of day as it is a technique of conscious awareness. For example, imagine whilst out walking you practice a greater connection to your breath, the steps you take, the sounds you hear, scents you smell and things you see. Your natural senses are engaged much more deeply and you aim to achieve a greater connection to the immediate/present moment. People often find that they become more aware of habitual patterns and the things we do without thinking and through this become much more focused, calm and productive. |
|
How do we know it works?
Meditation has been practiced as long as history has been recorded. One of the most clear written accounts date to the 2nd century BCE in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras although the Buddha was thought to have lived and taught as far back as between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.
Meditation has changed and developed over the centuries but it's fundamental aim of finding a peaceful and centred self that is more connected to a perceived source of creation (whatever this might be) remains the same. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness has been brought to the attention of the West by Thich Nhat Hanh and further popularised and developed into the modern context by people such as Jon Kabat-Zinn who created the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He also created the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course at the Stress Reduction Clinic in 1979. His eight week course aims to help patients cope with stress, pain, and illness by using what he calls "moment-to-moment awareness".
Katherine Weave (Emeritus Professor, Universities of Exeter and Southampton) in her research document 'Evidence for impact of mindfulness on children and young people' provides an excellent and detailed overview of the evidence supporting such practice. She highlights the work of Richard Davidson (Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry) and how brain imaging studies have shown mindfulness can reliably alter the structure and function of the brain. There is great influence over the quality of thought and feeling, as well as a thickening of the cerebral cortex which is associated with attention and emotional integration. There is also increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus which is known to be important for learning, memory, compassion and self-awareness.
There's plenty of research out there to support how and why meditation and mindfulness work but there is nothing like real experience.
Meditation has changed and developed over the centuries but it's fundamental aim of finding a peaceful and centred self that is more connected to a perceived source of creation (whatever this might be) remains the same. The Buddhist practice of mindfulness has been brought to the attention of the West by Thich Nhat Hanh and further popularised and developed into the modern context by people such as Jon Kabat-Zinn who created the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He also created the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course at the Stress Reduction Clinic in 1979. His eight week course aims to help patients cope with stress, pain, and illness by using what he calls "moment-to-moment awareness".
Katherine Weave (Emeritus Professor, Universities of Exeter and Southampton) in her research document 'Evidence for impact of mindfulness on children and young people' provides an excellent and detailed overview of the evidence supporting such practice. She highlights the work of Richard Davidson (Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry) and how brain imaging studies have shown mindfulness can reliably alter the structure and function of the brain. There is great influence over the quality of thought and feeling, as well as a thickening of the cerebral cortex which is associated with attention and emotional integration. There is also increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus which is known to be important for learning, memory, compassion and self-awareness.
There's plenty of research out there to support how and why meditation and mindfulness work but there is nothing like real experience.
References (weblinks):
The Oxford Mindfulness Centre
Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society
'Evidence for impact of mindfulness on children and young people'
Information on Thich Nhat Hanh
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Neuroscience - Information of the hippocampus
Neuroscience - Information on the cerebral cortex
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
Richard Davidson (Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry)
The History of the Buddha
Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society
'Evidence for impact of mindfulness on children and young people'
Information on Thich Nhat Hanh
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Neuroscience - Information of the hippocampus
Neuroscience - Information on the cerebral cortex
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
Richard Davidson (Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry)
The History of the Buddha
'Smile, breathe and go slowly.'
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh
