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Just what is mindfulness meditation, anyway? Perhaps you think of it as some kind of new-agey, feel-good relaxation technique. Or perhaps you think of it as sitting still and trying to clear your mind of all thoughts. These are typical misconceptions of what mindfulness really is.
In a nutshell, mindfulness is the antidote to our hyper-connected, frenetic, distracting electronic world. We’re used to letting our thoughts and our attention jump from one subject to another, responding to whatever stimulus comes along. Mindfulness meditation is active training in the discipline of focus. While meditation has roots in Buddhism and Hinduism, you don’t need to follow a religious tradition to give it a try.
Mindfulness is a practice, a state, and a trait. The "practice" is regularly taking time, as little as 5 minutes a day, to actively focus on a point of awareness. This is often the breath, but it can also be alert listening to the sounds happening in the moment, observing visual details, or simply noticing feelings and thoughts as they come and go. When these moments of awareness happen more and more in our lives, it becomes a “state” of being. And with continued, deliberate practice, mindfulness can also become a “trait”, as meditation starts to rewire the brain. Mindfulness practice physically changes how various brain regions communicate, and therefore, how we think. In fact, there is scientific evidence to back this up.
One 2012 study[1] used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study people with no previous mindfulness training, comparing scans before and after they took part in an 8-week meditation intervention. The scans were conducted while subjects were in an ordinary, non-meditative state. Researchers found that after 8 weeks, the amygdala, that region of the brain associated with the "fight or flight" stress response, appeared less reactive compared to a control group. This shows that brain changes persisted even when not meditating. A 2011 study[2] showed that mindfulness practice resulted in growth in brain regions involved in learning and memory, emotional regulation, and perspective taking.
There are many other studies suggesting mindfulness meditation training can improve attention and emotional regulation, reduce anxiety, and diminish physical reactions to stress. It can help us to keep our attention on the things that matter, cultivating the ability to discern what to respond to, and what to simply watch pass by.
Mindfulness meditation is simple, although that doesn't mean it's easy. At its core, the practice can be reduced to two simple questions:
To begin, sit comfortably and choose a point of focus, such as the feeling of your breath in your nostrils. Concentrate on the sensation of the breath as it comes and goes. When you notice your thoughts have wandered (and they will!), gently, and without judgment bring your attention back to the breath. The whole practice is about repeatedly "failing" and bringing attention back to the breath, "failing" (where is my attention now?), and returning (where do I want my attention to be?). The success is the instant you notice that your mind has wandered, so expect many successes!
If you're ready to give it a try, there are many resources, from local meditation classes to websites and even apps for your phone. It's easy to start. Why not give it a try?
In a nutshell, mindfulness is the antidote to our hyper-connected, frenetic, distracting electronic world. We’re used to letting our thoughts and our attention jump from one subject to another, responding to whatever stimulus comes along. Mindfulness meditation is active training in the discipline of focus. While meditation has roots in Buddhism and Hinduism, you don’t need to follow a religious tradition to give it a try.
Mindfulness is a practice, a state, and a trait. The "practice" is regularly taking time, as little as 5 minutes a day, to actively focus on a point of awareness. This is often the breath, but it can also be alert listening to the sounds happening in the moment, observing visual details, or simply noticing feelings and thoughts as they come and go. When these moments of awareness happen more and more in our lives, it becomes a “state” of being. And with continued, deliberate practice, mindfulness can also become a “trait”, as meditation starts to rewire the brain. Mindfulness practice physically changes how various brain regions communicate, and therefore, how we think. In fact, there is scientific evidence to back this up.
One 2012 study[1] used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study people with no previous mindfulness training, comparing scans before and after they took part in an 8-week meditation intervention. The scans were conducted while subjects were in an ordinary, non-meditative state. Researchers found that after 8 weeks, the amygdala, that region of the brain associated with the "fight or flight" stress response, appeared less reactive compared to a control group. This shows that brain changes persisted even when not meditating. A 2011 study[2] showed that mindfulness practice resulted in growth in brain regions involved in learning and memory, emotional regulation, and perspective taking.
There are many other studies suggesting mindfulness meditation training can improve attention and emotional regulation, reduce anxiety, and diminish physical reactions to stress. It can help us to keep our attention on the things that matter, cultivating the ability to discern what to respond to, and what to simply watch pass by.
Mindfulness meditation is simple, although that doesn't mean it's easy. At its core, the practice can be reduced to two simple questions:
- Where is my attention now?
- Where do I want my attention to be?
To begin, sit comfortably and choose a point of focus, such as the feeling of your breath in your nostrils. Concentrate on the sensation of the breath as it comes and goes. When you notice your thoughts have wandered (and they will!), gently, and without judgment bring your attention back to the breath. The whole practice is about repeatedly "failing" and bringing attention back to the breath, "failing" (where is my attention now?), and returning (where do I want my attention to be?). The success is the instant you notice that your mind has wandered, so expect many successes!
If you're ready to give it a try, there are many resources, from local meditation classes to websites and even apps for your phone. It's easy to start. Why not give it a try?
[1] Gaëlle Desbordes et al, Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state, 2012
[2] Britta K. Hölzel et al, Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density, 2011
[2] Britta K. Hölzel et al, Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density, 2011
Audio read and recorded by Fawn Fritzen