Mindfulness 

Mindfulness has become quite the buzz word over the past decade, and for good reason. As research on mindfulness meditation builds, the benefits for mind, body and emotions appear undeniable. By training subsystems of attention, mindfulness meditation has been shown to:

Reduce perceptions of stress and pain
Help manage chronic disease
Improve sleep and GI function
Mitigate anxiety, depression and addictive behavior

The applications are just as extensive as the benefits. Mindfulness training has been implemented among military, youth, aging and healthy populations. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at University of Massachusetts medical school, highlights key components of mindfulness to be intentional, non-judgmental attention, applied in a particular way, in the present moment as if your life depends on it. 

Throughout Jon Kabat-Zinn’s heavily researched Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, participants gain first hand experience on how the quality of your life depends on how you pay attention.  

How to Build Your Foundation

Mindful awareness can be applied anywhere and  anytime; however, it is helpful to have a structured practice so that when faced with stressful events, you have some well worn tools in your toolbox.  Formal practices include mindful breathing, sitting and walking meditation, body scanning and yoga. 

Learning how to embody mindful attention through these basic exercises provides simple opportunities to practice creating space between stressful stimuli and automatic reactions. Mindful awareness is the foundation for behavior change and performance enhancement, enabling you to learn more about your personal reactivity patterns; both skillful and unskillful. Please be sure to visit the Resource Page HERE for access to our growing library of mind-body practices. 

Until next time,

Jordan and Bethany