Find Mindfulness Classes near you

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FAQs:

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” This is the definition of mindfulness from Jon Kabat-Zinn, author, and founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts. Many have heard of mindfulness, perhaps without realizing exactly what it means or why people practice it. In the simplest of terms, mindfulness is a way to focus on the present moment, without getting stuck on events in the past or worrying about what the future has to bring. Instead, the intention is to be fully aware of what’s going on right here, right now. Along with this intention, there is a physical aspect to mindfulness, as well. As one practices mindfulness, normally an emphasis is put on noticing the small things, such as bodily sensations, breathing, or posture.

How Does Mindfulness Work?

Some experts believe that mindfulness works, in part, by helping people to accept their experiences—including painful emotions—rather than react to them with aversion and avoidance. It’s become increasingly common for mindfulness meditation to be combined with psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy. This development makes good sense, since both meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy share the common goal of helping people gain perspective on irrational, maladaptive, and self-defeating thoughts.

Why Practice Mindfulness?

For some people, mindfulness is primarily a way to enhance health or performance. For others, mindfulness is a tool for self-exploration.  And for yet others, mindfulness is part of a spiritual path, a way to develop insight into the human condition and freedom from suffering. Regardless of the motivation, scientists find that practicing mindfulness is associated with changes in the structure and function of the brain as well as changes in our physiological responses to stress, suggesting that this practice has important impacts on our physical and emotional health that are worth exploring.

What is Most Important in Mindfulness?

The core teaching of mindfulness involves noticing the present moment, including the emotions you are experiencing in the moment, without judgment. To ease yourself into being more mindful, notice when you are having judgmental thoughts and let them go—don’t feed into them. When you engage in judgmental thinking, you end up enhancing your struggles. Notice when your internal thoughts become judgmental and set them aside. This can help reduce issues, both now and in the future. Mindfulness, like any skill, gets easier to achieve over time. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come easily to you when you start. Soon enough, you’ll be focusing more on the daily joys of life with little to no effort.

When and How Often Should I Practice Mindfulness Exercises?

It depends on what kind of mindfulness exercise you plan to do. Simple mindfulness exercises can be practiced anywhere and anytime. Research indicates that engaging your senses outdoors is especially beneficial. For more structured mindfulness exercises, such as body scan meditation or sitting meditation, you'll need to set aside time when you can be in a quiet place without distractions or interruptions. You might choose to practice this type of exercise early in the morning before you begin your daily routine. Aim to practice mindfulness every day for about six months. Over time, you might find that mindfulness becomes effortless. Think of it as a commitment to reconnecting with and nurturing yourself.

What is the Purpose of Mindfulness?

The goal of mindfulness is to cultivate perspective on one’s consciousness and identity that can bring greater peace mentally and relationally. Mindfulness may also be used in mindfulness-based therapies, to address stress, anxiety, or pain, and simply to become more relaxed.

What is the Most Important Part of Mindfulness?

Nonjudging is a critical factor in mindfulness. Nonjudgment is releasing the need to judge or change the thought, sounds, objects, or emotions that occur during meditation. It means seeing and accepting things as they are and recognizing (not acting upon) judgments.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is exploring. It’s not a fixed destination. Your head doesn’t become vacuumed free of thought, utterly undistracted. It’s a special place where each and every moment is momentous. When we meditate we venture into the workings of our minds: our sensations, our emotions, and thoughts. Mindfulness meditation asks us to suspend judgment and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind, approaching our experience with warmth and kindness, to ourselves and others.

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

Mindfulness meditation is a mental training practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body. It combines meditation with the practice of mindfulness, which can be defined as a mental state that involves being fully focused on "the now" so you can acknowledge and accept your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. Techniques can vary, but in general, mindfulness meditation involves deep breathing and awareness of body and mind. Practicing mindfulness meditation doesn't require props or preparation (no need for candles, essential oils, or mantras, unless you enjoy them). To get started, all you need is a comfortable place to sit, three to five minutes of free time, and a judgment-free mindset.

What’s the Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation?

Mindfulness is one form of meditation. Meditation utilizes various practices to quiet the mind or achieve a higher level of consciousness, one of which is mindfulness. Mindfulness can be cultivated within or outside of formal meditation and woven into any activity, such as taking a walk or being engaged in conversation.

What Does Mindfulness Feel Like?

The practice of mindfulness meditation emphasizes the non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. You feel less stressed about the future and more in tune with the here and now. As your concentration improves, so does your ability to work on a single task efficiently. Interestingly, even when you aren’t formally meditating, you are becoming more aware of your mind from moment to moment. The act of realizing that you’re thinking is actually a significant step in the direction of mindfulness!

Where Does Mindfulness Come From?

While there are many different techniques for practicing meditation, the practices that cultivate mindfulness originally come from a more than 2,500 year-old Buddhist tradition. As the West came into contact with these practices from the East, they were taught from within the traditional Buddhist context, as well as adapted into a secular context that did not incorporate the original cultural or doctrinal elements. Twenty years ago, a person interested in mindfulness was more likely to find a Buddhist-based offering than a secular mindfulness program. Nowadays, the reverse is true. One of the oldest of these secular offerings is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

When to Practice Mindfulness

There are some signs that practicing mindfulness might be beneficial in your life. You might want to give mindfulness a try if:

- You are struggling with feelings of anxiety or depression.

- You feel distracted or find it hard to concentrate.

- You feel stressed.

- You have a hard time practicing self-compassion.

- You struggle with overeating or excessive snacking.

- You tend to focus on negative emotions.

- Your relationships with others are not as close or as strong as you would like.

Types of Mindfulness

There are a number of different forms of mindfulness meditation and other mindfulness-based interventions. These include:

1. Body scan meditation

2. Breathing meditation

3. Loving-kindness meditation

4. Observing-thought meditation

Therapy options that incorporate mindfulness practices include:

1. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

2. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

3. Mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT)

4. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

5. Mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM)

6. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MSBR)

Impact of Mindfulness

As Eastern practices gain more popularity in the West, mindfulness has been paired with cognitive therapy. Research shows some very promising results in a number of different areas. Practicing mindfulness, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) have all been found to be helpful with the following concerns.

Anxiety Disorders

People with anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), may experience significant reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms after a mindfulness-based intervention. Mindfulness can also be used to decrease anxiety over the future. It can provide a break from stressful thoughts and allow you to take a mental break and gain perspective, among other things.

Depression

One study showed that people who experienced residual depressive symptoms following a depressive episode experienced a decrease in symptoms and ruminations following a mindfulness-based intervention, with further gains a month later. Studies also show that mindfulness can be helpful in stopping ruminations over things that cause stress; it helps people keep from dwelling on negative thoughts.

Relationship Issues

One study found that people who exhibited greater mindfulness as a personality trait tended to enjoy greater satisfaction in relationships and deal with relationship stress more constructively. The research also found that those who employ mindfulness have a lower stress response during the conflict and that the state of mindfulness was associated with better communication during conflicts. Both studies link mindfulness with relationship well-being.

Eating Disorders

One study found that mindfulness-based interventions could be effective for targeting eating behaviors including emotional eating and binge eating.

Stress Management

Studies have found mindfulness to be helpful with daily stresses as well as more serious stresses experienced by those with a chronic or life-threatening illness. For example, research suggests that MBSR may be effective for improving the psychological health of people with breast cancer.

Styles of Therapy that Include Mindfulness

If you’re looking for therapy that incorporates mindfulness, you’re in luck. These days, there are plenty of options. Just a few styles of therapy that include mindfulness are:

Holistic Therapy

Holistic therapy is an approach that considers the whole person when developing a treatment plan, including personal history, beliefs, culture, and more. It often involves receiving complementary therapies from a therapist, like reiki, breathing exercises, or hypnosis. Your practitioner may be a licensed marriage and family therapist or a psychologist.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy involves recognizing and retraining unhelpful thought and behavior patterns. It’s based on the idea that your thoughts, emotions, and actions are connected. It has components of mindfulness in that it doesn’t focus on the past. Rather, it focuses on recognizing how your thoughts and feelings can lead to distress and how to redirect your thinking and behavior in light of this. It helps cultivate self-awareness and reflection, both important elements of mindfulness.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

There is also a branch of CBT known as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). It combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditation practices to help people get to know the modes of mind that lead to negative states, like depression or mood disorders. According to an older 2008 randomized clinical trial, MBCT was found to reduce rates of relapse in those with recurrent depression.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical behavioral therapy is similar to CBT, but it places more emphasis on dealing with difficult emotions and navigating relationships. It was originally developed to help treat borderline personality disorder and suicidal thoughts. DBT involves cultivating tolerance to distress as well as mindful acceptance of your thoughts and behaviors. Emotional regulation and interpersonal skills are then used to help you change your thoughts and behaviors.

Somatic Experiencing

Somatic means “of the body.” SE uses the mind-body connection to help with physical and psychological symptoms. Developed by Peter Levine, it’s based on the idea that stress and trauma can lead to dysfunction in your nervous system. It involves noticing bodily sensations to address trauma that lingers in the body.

Ecotherapy

Ecotherapy is an approach based on the deep connection between humans and the environment. It involves the practice of affirming your interconnectivity with the planet and life itself, whether through nature hikes, coastline cleanup, or digging in a garden. Ecotherapy also focuses on using your senses to experience your natural surroundings, which can help ground you in the present moment.

Common Mindfulness Techniques

Here are brief descriptions of a few common mindfulness exercises. You can try many of these anywhere, at home or on the go, in a few moments of quiet. To learn more about these techniques, take a look below:.

1. Mindful breathing – One of the simplest exercises is mindful breathing. Simply spend a few minutes focusing your awareness on the movement of your thoughts and your breath in and out, without trying to change them in any way.

2. Body scan – While seated or lying down, gradually focus your attention on one body part at a time, noticing any physical sensations without judging or reacting to them. A typical body scan might start with the soles of the feet and then progressively move awareness to the knees, hips, back, belly, chest, neck, and head.

3. Mindful eating – This exercise involves eating very slowly and deliberately while paying attention to the sensations of holding the item, smelling, tasting, chewing, and swallowing it.

4. Loving kindness meditation – An exercise in which you direct positive thoughts and wishes first to yourself, then to your close family and friends, then to more distant acquaintances, and finally to all humanity.

5. Mindful movement – While walking or rolling, pay close attention to your breathing, your body movements, and your surroundings. You can also practice mindfulness while doing familiar exercises, such as yoga, focusing on the physical sensations as you enter and hold each pose.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been studied for many years. According to recent research, it has several benefits for physical and mental health. Some of the strongest health benefits include:

1. Improves mood – Mindfulness training may reduce depression and anxiety. One study found that mindfulness training was as effective as antidepressant medications in preventing a depression relapse.

2. Reduces stress and its consequences – Mindfulness can lead to less intense stress responses. This has many health benefits, such as lowering your blood pressure and strengthening your immune system.

3. Improves coping with pain –People with chronic pain who practice mindfulness meditation report less severe pain and pain-related distress. They are also more active in spite of their pain.

4. Improves brain functions – Practicing mindfulness helps build your ability to pay attention and focus. Over time, this training can sharpen memory and improve mental performance.

5. Helps with weight management – Some mindfulness techniques have been shown to reduce overeating and obesity.

The benefits of mindfulness training may persist for years, because learning to be mindful is something that can be applied to your daily routine.

Examples of Mindfulness Exercises

There are many simple ways to practice mindfulness. Some examples include:

1. Pay attention. It's hard to slow down and notice things in a busy world. Try to take the time to experience your environment with all of your senses — touch, sound, sight, smell and taste. For example, when you eat a favorite food, take the time to smell, taste and truly enjoy it.

2. Live in the moment. Try to intentionally bring an open, accepting and discerning attention to everything you do. Find joy in simple pleasures.

3. Accept yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat a good friend.

4. Focus on your breathing. When you have negative thoughts, try to sit down, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your body. Sitting and breathing for even just a minute can help.

You can also try more structured mindfulness exercises, such as:

1. Body scan meditation. Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing up. Focus your attention slowly and deliberately on each part of your body, in order, from toe to head or head to toe. Be aware of any sensations, emotions or thoughts associated with each part of your body.

2. Sitting meditation. Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet flat on the floor and hands in your lap. Breathing through your nose, focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. If physical sensations or thoughts interrupt your meditation, note the experience and then return your focus to your breath.

3. Walking meditation. Find a quiet place 10 to 20 feet in length, and begin to walk slowly. Focus on the experience of walking, being aware of the sensations of standing and the subtle movements that keep your balance. When you reach the end of your path, turn and continue walking, maintaining awareness of your sensations.

How to Practice Mindfulness

While mindfulness might seem simple, it’s not necessarily all that easy. The real work is to make time every day to just keep doing it. Here’s a short practice to get you started:

Take a seat. Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.

Set a time limit. If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as 5 or 10 minutes.

Notice your body. You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, in lotus posture, you can kneel—all are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.

Feel your breath. Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes out and as it goes in.

Notice when your mind has wandered. Inevitably, your attention will leave the sensations of the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing this—in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes—simply return your attention to the breath.

Be kind to your wandering mind. Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the content of the thoughts you find yourself lost in. Just come back.

Tips on Getting the Most from Mindfulness

To get the most out of mindfulness exercises, try your best to:

1. Pay attention. Focus on things you can see, hear, smell, taste or touch. For example, when you take a shower, make a special effort to really pay attention to how the water feels on your skin.

2. Take notice. When your mind wanders, which is just what minds do, simply notice where your thoughts have drifted to. Some people find it helpful to name and acknowledge the feelings and thoughts that come up. For example, you could think to yourself 'this is a feeling of anger', or 'here is the thought that I'm not good enough'.

3. Be aware and accepting. Notice and be aware of the emotions you are feeling or sensations in your body. You don't need to try and get rid of any feelings or thoughts. Try to observe and accept these feelings with friendly curiosity, and without judgement.

4. Choose to return. Choose to bring your attention back to the present moment. You could do this by focusing on your breathing or another sensation in your body. Or you could focus on your surroundings – what you can see, hear, smell, touch or taste.

5. Be kind to yourself. Remember that mindfulness can be difficult and our minds will always wander. Try not to be critical of yourself. When you notice your mind wandering, you can just gently bring yourself back to the exercise.

Practical Tips for Mindfulness

To get more out of mindfulness exercises, there are some practical things you can try to help improve your experience:

1. Set aside regular time to practise. Regular, short periods of mindfulness can work better than occasional long ones. If you struggle to find the time, try choosing one or two things you already do daily, and do them mindfully. For example, you could practise mindfulness while doing the washing up or taking a shower.

2. Make yourself comfortable. It can help to do mindfulness in a space where you feel safe, comfortable and won't be easily distracted. Some people also find that it helps to be outdoors or surrounded by nature.

3. Take it slowly. Try to build up your practice bit by bit. You don't need to set ambitious goals or put pressure on yourself. Remember, you’re learning a new skill that will take time to develop.

4. Don't worry about whether you're doing it right. Try not to worry about doing the exercises correctly. Focus on using them in the ways that are most helpful for you. Many people find it takes a while to feel comfortable doing mindfulness exercises.

What You Learn in a Mindfulness Class

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is probably the best known mainstream mindfulness program out there. It was created in 1979 by the pioneering work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the UMASS Medical Center. The MBSR curriculum has been extensively investigated and is the subject of many research studies verifying the great benefits that mindfulness practice has on health and well-being. But what exactly are the things you learn in an 8-week MBSR course?

Here are a few of them.

1. You learn how to approach people and situations with beginner’s mind and greater openness. The most important thing we learn to experience with beginner’s mind is our own experience of being alive. We don’t take anything for granted – not our thoughts, emotions, body sensations, or impulses. Everything we think and feel and imagine can be held, with kindness and curiosity, in our awareness. We open ourselves to experiencing our lives in a less habitual, unconscious way.

2. You learn the importance of questioning the accuracy of your perceptions and seeing things more creatively. How we perceive the challenges in our lives has a lot to do with how we will ultimately respond to them. If we think the traffic jam we’re stuck in, or the relationship problem we’re facing, is all our fault or all someone else’s – it sets us up for either hating ourselves or hating someone else, thus causing us stress and dis-ease. When we free up our perceptions and see the multiple perspectives of any issue, we’re not so caught up in the blame game and have greater freedom to find a solution.

3. You learn to stop and enjoy the pleasurable moments in your life and cultivate a sense of gratitude. Human beings are hardwired to focus on threats – but that hard-wiring means that we will tend to miss much that is already good, pleasurable, and wholesome about our lives. If all we see is what we don’t have, or what might threaten us, then life becomes pretty stressful and not much fun. The good news is that we can train ourselves to really take in all the joyful and pleasurable moments in our lives – even the little ones! – and feel more resilient towards stress as a result.

4. You learn ways to be more responsive to stressful situations and not act on your autopilot reactions. When stressful situations arise, it is quite normal to be at the mercy of our reactive fight or flight tendencies. Arguments, road rage incidents on the one hand, or avoidance and shutting down emotionally on the other. Mindfulness practice helps us stay aware of the unpleasant body sensations, catastrophizing thoughts and painful emotions of stressful situations as they are happening instead of freaking out and losing it. While we can’t get rid of stressful events, we can learn to respond to them with wisdom.

5. You learn to see your thoughts and emotions as events in consciousness, not facts. We tend to believe our thoughts and emotions are always true without questioning them or where they come from. Mindfulness reveals the transitory and insubstantial nature of thoughts and emotions. The greater clarity that comes with mindfulness practice helps us to, not ignore thoughts and emotions, but to see them as highly conditioned and temporary experiences which we can choose to follow, investigate, or let go of.

6. You learn to communicate more effectively with others by practicing presence, empathy, and kindness. By staying connected to body, mind, and heart during a conversation, we establish a greater presence which can help us really understand what someone is telling us – which also helps us communicate more intuitively, authentically, and with greater kindness than a default autopilot conversation does.

7. You learn mindful consuming by noticing your intentions and when ingesting something like food or media becomes too much. We are all consumers: consumers of food, drink, media, time, environments, people, and so on. Everything we consume has an effect on our body, mind and nervous system. Mindful consuming means we pay attention to what we take in and to what effects it has on us. Harmful effects are something we can begin to notice,  so that we can make wiser and more sustainable consuming decisions.

8.  An 8-week class in mindfulness-based stress reduction is just the beginning. Our practice deepens over time as we cultivate our own inner resources for health, healing, and wisdom. There are many ways to continue a mindfulness practice, and we share practical strategies and resources for continuing to practice mindfulness in your everyday life.

Sources:

Sofia Health

Taking Charge

Mayo Clinic

Mindful

Psychology Today

Very Well Mind

Healthline

Help Guide

Mind

Healthy Aging & Physical Disability

McLean

LinkedIn

Mindworks

Stress Reduction at Work

 

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