An Introduction to Mindfulness Practice and Benefits
In his book Siegel
quotes Jon Kabat Zinn as defining mindfulness as:
“The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present
moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.”
What is
mindfulness?
Mindfulness
can be described as paying attention to what we are experiencing in this
moment, and doing so with a particular attitude: One of curiosity, openness,
acceptance and warmth. Simply observing what we are experiencing, right
now, and bringing a warm curiosity to whatever arises. In formal
mindfulness practices our intention is often to center our awareness on one
particular experience, such as the sensations involved in breathing or the
sounds that we can hear, or to widen our awareness to incorporate a range of
experiences simultaneously, or to watch where our attention goes without
getting caught up in particular experiences. Mindfulness is also something that
we can bring to any aspect of our day to day life, cultivating the same
qualities of curiosity, acceptance and warmth.
The benefits of Mindfulness include
Helping individuals to:
a) Recognise, slow down or stop automatic and
habitual reactions.
b)
Respond more effectively to complex or
difficult situations
c)
See situations more clearly.
d)
Become more creative.
e)
Achieve balance and resilience at work and at
home.
f)
Have an easier and lighter life
Mental
Health benefits of Mindfulness course
Mindfulness course has helped people to reduce their stress levels and
has proven to reduce their levels of anxiety and depression, even when measured
after one month after completing the course.
Here are the averaged results for everyone who has completed the Course.
Average Stress
Reduction 39%
ANXIETY
Average Anxiety
Reduction 53%
DEPRESSION
Average
Reduction in Depression 52%
The Following discussion on mindfulness on its definition, practice,
benefits d everyday mindfulness an is taken from online content (with
references provided). One hopes the reader will gain deeper understanding of
this useful practice. One hopes that they will get motivated practice and be to
learn mindfulness and benefit from the knowledge and practice.
An introduction to Mindfulness
http://teach-yourself-mindfulness.com/what-is-mindfulness-the-definition-of/
Have you ever been eating a snack bar, and after one or two bites, noticed that all you were holding was an empty wrapper? Perhaps you have noticed that when you’re driving somewhere, you arrive at your destination only to realise that you remember nothing about the journey, sometimes not even which route you took? Everyone has! These are common examples of “mindlessness,” or “automatic pilot mode”. In modern life, we find ourselves so busy that we must constantly multi task just to keep up. It becomes increasingly easy to lose awareness of the “now”, the present moment we exist in as we become lost in in our efforts to juggle work, home, family, finances, and other conflicting demands.
As humans, we often find ourselves “not present” in our own lives. We frequently fail to notice the good things about our lives, ignore what our bodies are telling us, or poison our minds and attitudes with toxic self-criticism.
The human mind is easily distracted, habitually reviewing and examining past events to anticipate the future. While it may not sound obviously helpful to become more aware of our thoughts, feelings and emotions, learning to do this in a way that suspends judgment and self-criticism can have an incredibly positive impact on our lives.
Mindfulness is a way of clearly seeing the now, paying attention to whatever is happening in our lives. It will not eliminate life’s pressures, but rather, help us respond to them in a calm manner that benefits out heart, mind, and body. It teaches us to recognize and pull back from habitual, often unconscious emotional and physiological reactions to everyday events. It provides us with a scientifically researched approach to cultivating clarity, insight, and understanding; practicing mindfulness allows us to be fully present in our life and work, improving our quality of life.
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way;
On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
Paying attention “on purpose”
First, understand that mindfulness involves paying attention “on purpose”. Mindfulness involves consciously directing our awareness. We sometimes (me included) talk of “mindfulness” and “awareness” as if these two terms are completely interchangeable, but that is not a good habit to get into. Even if I’m aware that I’m irritable, that doesn’t mean that I’m being mindful of my own irritability. Instead of being just vaguely or habitually aware, mindfulness means that I am purposefully aware of myself. Knowing that I’m eating is not the same thing as eating mindfully.
Let’s look closer at the example of eating. When we are fully aware (mindful) of eating, we are consciously aware of the process of eating. We’re deliberately noticing the sensations of the experience, and our responses to those sensations. We’re also noticing the mind wandering, and purposely bringing our attention back to the moment.
As a contrast, when we’re eating unmindfully, we may in theory be aware of what we’re doing, but we’re probably also distracted from the experience by a hundred and one other things, maybe watching TV, talking, or reading — or even all three at once! Only a very small part of our awareness is absorbed with eating, barely aware of the physical sensations and even less aware of our own thoughts and emotions.
Thus, because we’re only dimly aware of our thoughts, they wander unrestricted. There is no conscious attempt to bring our attention back to eating, intentional choice is lacking.
This intentional choice (purposefulness) is a vital part of mindfulness. Having the purpose of staying with our experience: the feeling of your breath, a particular emotion, or something as simple as eating, means that we are actively engaging and shaping the mind.
Paying attention “in the present moment”
When left to itself, the mind wanders through all kinds of thoughts — including thoughts expressing anger, depression, craving, self-pity, revenge, etc. As we indulge in these kinds of thoughts, we reinforce those emotions in our hearts, causing ourselves to suffer. Mostly, these thoughts are about the past or future, but the past no longer exists and the future is just a fantasy until it happens. The one moment we can actually experience — the present moment — is the one we seem to avoid the most.
So in mindfulness, we’re concerned with noticing what’s going on right now. This doesn’t mean we can no longer think about the past or future, but when we do, we do it mindfully, aware that right now we’re thinking about the past or future.
However, in mediation, we’re concerned with what thoughts are arising in the present moment. When we start to “space out” and when thoughts about the past or future take us away from the present moment’s experience, we try to notice and come back to the present.
By purposefully directing our awareness away from such thoughts and towards our “anchor” or our present moment’s experience, we begin to decrease their effect on our lives, creating a space of freedom where calmness and contentment can grow instead.
Paying attention “non-judgmentally”
Mindfulness is an emotionally non-reactive state. We don’t judge this experience as good or that one as bad, or if we do make those judgments, we notice it and let go of them. We don’t get upset because we’re experiencing something we don’t want to be experiencing, or because we’re not experiencing what we would like to be experiencing. We simply accept whatever arises, observing it mindfully. We notice it arising, passing through us, and then ceasing to exist.
Whether it’s a pleasant experience or a painful experience, we treat it the same way.
Cognitively, mindfulness means that we are aware certain experiences are pleasant and some are unpleasant, but on an emotional level, we simply do not react. We call this “equanimity” — stillness and balance of mind.
The benefits of Mindfulness include
Helping individuals to:
Recognize, slow down or stop automatic and habitual reactions.
Respond more effectively to complex or difficult situations.
See situations more clearly
Become more creative
Achieve balance and resilience at work and at home
Have an easier and lighter life
What does mindfulness involve?
Practitioners of mindfulness learn how to pay attention on purpose by practicing and using specially developed mindfulness meditation practices. With practice, they learn to slow down or stop brain chatter and automatic, habitual reactions, experiencing the present moment in fullness as it really is.
When practicing mindfulness, everyone, regardless of how much they practice, will experience everyday thoughts creeping into their heads uninvited. This is perfectly normal and okay – it’s just what our brains do. It’s how we respond to these thoughts that is important.
If we begin to think about the thought, or get annoyed with ourselves for not being able to retain our focus, it stops us from paying attention and takes us away from the present moment. But when we just acknowledge the thought and release it without judgment, we retain our focus, remaining fully in the present moment.
As with all new skills, the more we practice it, the easier and more natural it becomes. Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb coined the phrase, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” In other words, the more we practice mindfulness, the more we develop neurological pathways in the brain associated with being mindful, thus making it easier to be fully present in each and every moment as you experience it.
By learning to experience the present moment as it really is, we develop the ability to step away from our habitual, often unconscious emotional and physiological reactions to everyday events. We learn to see things as they really are, responding wisely and consciously instead of relying on “auto pilot”.
Who is mindfulness for?
Mindfulness is for everyone, young and old, from all walks of life. Mindfulness is not a religion and there are no necessary religious components to mindfulness – anyone, with any belief system, can enjoy the benefits of mindfulness.
Although mindfulness may have its origins in the east, the benefits of mindfulness and meditation are now relatively mainstream and the scientific community has found data positively correlating mindfulness and meditation to stress reduction.
The Meaning of
Mindfulness
http://www.thebestbrainpossible.com/the-meaning-of-mindfulness-2/
Mindfulness is one of those
fashionable terms that you see getting used just about everywhere, but what
exactly does it mean?
Mindfulness in its most general sense is about waking up from a
life on automatic, and being sensitive to novelty in our everyday experiences.
With mindful awareness the flow of energy and information that is our
mind enters our conscious attention and we can both appreciate its contents and
come to regulate its flow in a new way. Mindful awareness, as we will
see, actually involves more than just simply being aware: It involves being
aware of aspects of the mind itself. Instead of being on automatic and
mindless, mindfulness helps us awaken, and by reflecting on the mind we are
enabled to make choices and thus change becomes possible.
Being mindful is not
only being aware, it is being aware of awareness. It is approaching the present
experience with a reflective awareness including the qualities of curiosity,
openness, acceptance, and love. Siegel has coined the acronym COAL to
remember these.
In the book, Siegel
quotes Jon Kabat Zinn as defining
mindfulness as: “The awareness that emerges through paying attention on
purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of
experience moment by moment.”
Another definition he
offers which comes from The Innerkids Program, designed to teach
young children basic mindfulness skills, is: “Being aware of what is happening
as it is happening.”
Five Basic Factors Of Mindfulness
In mindfulness studies,
there are five basic factors that tend to comprise mindfulness
§ Nonreactivity to inner experience (e.g., perceiving feelings and emotions without having to
react to them);
§ observing/noticing/attending to sensations, perceptions,
thoughts, feelings (e.g., remaining
present with sensations and feelings even when they are unpleasant or painful);
§ acting with awareness/not on automatic
pilot, concentration/nondistraction (e.g., breaking or spilling things because
of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else);
§ describing/labeling with words (e.g.,
easily putting beliefs, opinions, and expectations into words);
§ nonjudgmental of experience (e.g.,
criticizing oneself for having irrational or appropriate emotions).
Almost every culture
and religion have practices that encourage and help people to develop awareness
of the present moment or mindfulness including meditation, prayer, yoga, tai
chi and qui quong. These practices share the common intent to consciously
focus awareness in a very specific way. Siegel writes: “Direct experience
in the present moment has been described as a fundamental part of Buddhist,
Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish and Taoist teaching.” Mindfulness is
not associated with any one religious orientation nor does it conflict with
any.
Research has shown
mindfulness to significantly improve a wide range of conditions from borderline
personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders,
post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders. It has shown to be
helpful in the prevention of relapse with chronic depression and substance
abuse. I know that it has sure changed my life dramatically for the
better as it helped me recover from depression and a serious brain injury
resulting from a suicide attempt. It can your change your life for the
better too.
MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF MINFULNESS COURSE
http://www.bemindfulonline.com/results/
Not only has the Be
Mindful online course been proven to help people reduce their stress levels,
but it's been proven to help reduce their levels of anxiety and depression,
even when measured one month after completing the course.
Here are the Averaged Results for everyone who has
completed the Be Mindful course to date.
Average Stress Reduction 39%
Average Anxiety Reduction 53%
Average Reduction in Depression 52%
Published
Research Studies
The Be Mindful online
course is recognized and substantiated by leading academic institutions.
Independent research shows the effectiveness of Be Mindful in helping people
with their mental health. Here are the research studies that have been
published in scientific journals to date, with highlights of their significant
findings:
Reducing Anxiety &
Depression
The effectiveness of the
online course was the subject of a highly significant research study by Oxford University published in BMJ Open. The
reported average outcomes for completers of the course show participants
enjoying reductions of 58% in anxiety and 57% in depression.
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/11/e003498.full
Reducing Fatigue &
Rumination
In a research study of the University of Surrey, School of
Psychology evaluating the effect of the Be Mindful course on work-related
rumination, chronic fatigue and sleep quality, it was found that the Be Mindful
course had a significant positive influence on all factors. Course completers
enjoyed a 25% decrease in rumination, a 26% reduction of chronic
fatigue and 33% improved sleep quality. The findings not only show the
great benefits of mindfulness, but also strongly support the effectiveness of
online mindfulness training. This seminal research study was published
in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2016-17140-001
Reducing Stress
A research study evaluating the feasibility of the Be Mindful online course
and its impact on stress by the Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University in
2012 was published in BMJ Open. It showed that participants enjoyed
a 43% reduction in stress.
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000803.full.html
Mindfulness as a way of life - Tips for living mindfully
© Monash University 2016
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mindfulness-wellbeing-performance
Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance
Mindfulness as a way of life - Tips for living
mindfully
Awareness
Just being able to recognise default mode is very important. It
means that we
don’t get stuck in it quite as much, but start to have moments
where we literally
“wake up” out of it. As we do so, we start to recognise this other
way of being
called mindfulness. We can start noticing the benefits of being
more engaged and
present with our lives, for both well being and performance. Simply
observing the
effects each mode of attention has on our lives naturally leads us
towards
developing more mindfulness – the capacity for nonjudgmental
awareness of each
moment.
One thing that is important to remember is that simply noticing
the tendency to
be in default mode, without even having the intention the
intention to change it,
means that we are developing awareness and the ability to be
present.
Attention
Attention is a central quality of mindfulness. Once we notice that
our attention is
caught up in default mode, it becomes possible to bring it back to
whatever is
happening in the present. We literally start ‘coming to our
senses’. As we do so
repeatedly, through sustained effort in both meditation and
informal
practices/applications (‘off the cushion’, so to speak), we find
that it becomes
easier to do. We notice more often when we are in default mode,
and are more
easily able to simply re-engage the attention on what is happening
in the
moment. As we learn to do this without further thinking (i.e.
following the
thought/distraction or judging/reacting to it), we get quicker at
noticing mind
wandering and coming back. We spend more time in the present and
start
experiencing more of the benefits and joys of living an engaged
life.
Curiosity
One of the things that helps with the increased awareness and
attention
regulation is curiosity. This is why we often say it is the second
central quality of
mindfulness, after attention. While curiosity is an innate quality
(we are born with
it – just watch little children and how they interact with the
world), we lose touch
with it as life gets faster and we start to relate to the world
through concepts
and ideas rather than directly through the senses, and as we start
to take things
for granted and do them on automatic pilot.
But as we have seen, we can rediscover this quality through
mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the exact opposite of taking things for granted.
And when we
intentionally cultivate an attitude of curiosity and interest, we
get back in touch
with this innate quality. In the course, we noticed how genuine
curiosity engages
us in our senses, bringing us fully into the present moment. We
noticed how
relaxing and enjoyable this can be, even when we bring this
curiosity to mundane,
everyday objects like breathing, which we would normally take for
granted. In
fact, especially when we bring curiosity to everyday experiences
such as this.
When we bring curiosity we can notice new things as well, such as
how our
breath is cooler on the inhalation and warmer on the exhalation.
Things also tend
to seem more vivid – sounds clearer, images brighter, food
tastier. We were
invited to explore other aspects of our lives in this way, through
the informal
practices of mindfulness – bringing curiosity to everyday
activities.
We noticed that when we did this, even simple things like brushing
our teeth,
travelling and communication became mindfulness ‘practices’. How,
when we
practiced in this way, we experienced the same sense of calming
the mind and
sharpening the attention as when we sit in meditation. And so we
learned how to
take mindfulness ‘off the cushion’ and out into our lives.
Perhaps most importantly, in any moment where we are genuinely
curious about
something, we are not reacting to it. In the beginning of
mindfulness practice, for
instance, we might at times think we are accepting some
experience, but very
subtly be resisting it. This is easy to do and takes some work to recognize.
But when we open to the possibility of genuinely feeling them and
relating to
them directly, as they are, we suddenly find that they don’t even
need to go away
for us to be happy. We can relax and enjoy the very situation we
are in, even if
some unpleasant experience e.g. strong emotions are part of that
situation. This is
a very important thing to remember in our day-to-day life and is
one of the deeper
truths of mindfulness.
Gentleness
Related to this is the idea of gentleness. Through the ‘puppy’
metaphor and an
intention to be gentler with ourselves in each moment, this has
gone beyond
being a concept and become an actual experience. Even if we found
that we
continued to be rough with ourselves, at least now we know we are
doing it, and
can start to observe its effects.
But we may also have realised that when we let ourselves fully
feel the
discomfort (or even pain) of being rough, and notice the times we
were kinder and
gentler, we were naturally drawn to this kinder way of being. The
mind starts to
calm down, we feel better, and we are less avoidant of
difficulties (so we can
address them more effectively).
As you move forward after this course, become really curious about
the difference
between these two ways of relating to yourself and the things
around you. How it
feels, how others respond to you, that sort of thing. Noticing
this will tend to
motivate you to be more gentle.
Compassion
And as we start being gentler with ourselves we experience not
only a reduction
in stress but also a paradoxical increase in our effectiveness and
productivity, as
we cease wasting energy fighting with ourselves.
Having recognised the benefits of this way of being for ourselves,
it is common
for people practising mindfulness to then find themselves
spontaneously bringing
a more compassionate attitude to others. Recognizing that people
who are
difficult are simply caught up in default mode and stress
reactions (often with
absolutely no idea that this is what is happening to them) tends
to spontaneously
result in being gentler with them. Just as being willing to truly
be with our own
difficult thoughts and emotions (perhaps by placing our hand on
our heart and/or
being genuinely curious about what is coming up) leads to greater
wellbeing,
bringing this same acceptance, presence and curiosity to others
often has a way
of transforming the situation.
Or, at the very least, ensuring that we don’t make the situation
even worse for
ourselves by getting into a stress reaction of our own. We may
even like to
experiment with sending kind thoughts to the person, perhaps recognizing
that if
they are difficult with us for 5 minutes, they are like that with
themselves 24/7.
We will learn how to do a Sending Kind Thoughts meditation this
week.
Letting go
Once we have started to experience gentleness and acceptance of
what is
happening, we can start to understand what it really means to let
go. If we had
jumped straight into the letting go part, there is a strong chance
that we can
practice what we think is ‘letting go’ but is actually attempts to
avoid or get rid of
certain experiences.
Consider a ladybird in your hand. We can open up our hand, and
that is letting go.
Whether the ladybird flies away, or crawls around our hand for a
while, or stays
exactly where it is, or even flies away and comes back a few
times, nobody can
say for sure. All that is certain is that we can be holding on in
some moments, and
letting go in others. We can continue to recognize when we are
holding on by
noticing the tension (and, often, conflict) that comes with it,
and taking a moment
to pause and get genuinely curious about what is happening in our
mind.
Remember – letting go is a lifelong process, one which happens in
each moment.
Moment by moment.
Communicating
We also explored what it means to communicate mindfully. We can
even do this
with people we feel completely indifferent towards or have
difficulty or conflict
with. So why not make a commitment to communicating more mindfully
from now
on? To recognizing our tendency to go off into the automatic pilot
of
‘communication’, and instead to intentionally bring full presence
to others. To
really listen to what they are saying – not just the words, but to
the nonverbal
component of communication (which actually makes up 80% of the
overall
communication), such as the tone of their voice, the rate of their
speech, their
posture and their eye contact.
And when we speak, to really feel into what we want to say, rather
than just
talking, and perhaps taking a moment to pause after we have said
it and check
whether what we just said was really what we were trying to
communicate. Keep
communicating in this way and notice the effect it has on your
relationships and
wellbeing.
Pausing
Remember that mindfulness is something we can do in each moment.
Even the
more formal ‘meditation’ is scalable. We can sit for 5 or 10 (or
more) minutes with
our eyes closed, or we can simply take moments throughout the day
to pause. We
might close our eyes and meditate for 30 seconds. Or we might
bring our
attention to our breath for a moment, or even just feel our feet
on the ground. All
of these are ways of grounding ourselves. It is very useful to do
this when we are
feeling stressed or overwhelmed, and also punctuating the day with
brief pauses,
to disrupt the pattern of rushing from one thing to another in a
blur. To stop and
smell the roses, so to speak.
Pausing in this way can be extremely powerful. The automatic pilot
of the day can
get so strong and pervasive that at times we can be in it for
large parts of the
day. Remembering to just stop and take a few breaths of look
around once in a
while can break this pattern, and we then tend to find that we
start
spontaneously having moments of presence at other times during the
day. Often
when we least expect it. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty
fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Discipline
Prior to learning about mindfulness, most people tend to think
about discipline as
being about forcing themselves to do things by criticising themselves for not
trying hard enough. But after experiencing how simply noticing the
mind
wandering is a moment of awakening that allows (or even
spontaneously results
in) a natural re engagement with the present, the meaning of
discipline tends to
change.
Suddenly it is less about being rough with ourselves and more
about recognising
when we are off in default mode. And then being firm but gentle as
we bring our
attention back, knowing that any roughness will just agitate us
further, and self-critical
thoughts take us even further into default mode and away from what
is
actually happening in the present moment. Discipline, then,
becomes a conscious
(and life-long) process of waking up.
Neuroplasticity
It can be extremely motivating to remember that practising mindfulness literally
rewires the brain for increased happiness, well being and
productivity. That is why
we have explored it throughout this course. When we think about
mindfulness
from the perspective of neuroplasticity, we recognise that in any
moment we are
either practising waking up or we are practising being deeper in
default mode.
Moments where we recognise that we are in default mode are very
valuable: in
these moments we have literally ‘woken up’. And when we bring our
attention
gently back to our senses once more, we form new connections in
parts of our
brain associated with being present, especially the prefrontal
cortex. This part of
the brain then grows, connection-by-connection, moment-by-moment,
and
suddenly we start to find ourselves being spontaneously and
effortlessly more
present at other times, when we are not even consciously practising.
Two great books on this topic are The Brain That Changes Itself by
Norman
Doidge and Buddha’s Brain, by Rick Hanson. You may like to read
further on this if
you are interested, as a way of understanding what is happening in
your brain as
you practice mindfulness, and/or as a way of motivating yourself
to keep up this invaluable mental training.
