Merits of Mindfulness
MINDFULNESS
Being more aware and awake to each moment; observing our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.
August 23, 2022
Mindfulness is a healing practice that has been used to reduce psychological distress for over 2,500 years. With advances in neuroscience, researchers have been able to document its beneficial effects on the brain and mental health through rigorous scientific study.
To define mindfulness concisely, it is “nonjudgmental present moment awareness” or “curious and kind attention.” This is easily done when experiencing a pleasurable activity, such as eating a really good scoop of ice cream or looking out onto a beautiful landscape. It is during life’s tough moments- moments of boredom, shame, worry, or anger- that mindfulness requires some practice. It is the act of having an accepting attitude and open stance to whatever you happen to encounter internally and externally. These encounters include what is happening around you (sights, sounds, events) as well as what is happening within you (physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts).
Mindfulness meditation doesn’t just help us regulate our emotions and feel more relaxed- it also changes the brain! These brain changes lead to increased resilience and compassion, improved ability to focus, improvement on a number of health markers, a decrease in the body’s inflammatory response, and the lengthening of cell life.
GETTING STARTED
· Create a Practice Space: Find a place where you can be generally undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.
· Find a Time that Works for You: Some people prefer to start off their day with a mindfulness practice while others feel less rushed during afternoon or evening hours. Choose a time that makes sense for you. If an initial plan isn’t successful, that’s ok! Try a different time. I found that when I practiced mindfulness in the morning, I felt too stiff, uncomfortable, and groggy to get much benefit from it. An evening practice worked much better for me personally as I tend to be a night owl. Find your own groove.
· Set a Timer: Use a clock, phone, or meditation app (such as the free app Insight Timer or UCLA Mindful) to time your practice. Start with 5 to 10 minutes per day, then work your way up to 15 to 30 minutes as you become more comfortable with the process. If you are using a phone or phone-based app, be sure to adjust the settings so that notifications do not disturb you during practice time.
· Get Comfortable: Find an upright or laying down position in which your back is straight and supported. Some people enjoy sitting cross-legged on a cushion while others like the support of a wall or chair. When I first began practicing mindfulness, I preferred to lay down on a yoga mat with one hand on my heart and the other on my stomach (the only concern here is to not get sooo relaxed that you fall asleep). Wearing comfortable clothes is also a great way to enhance the experience.
· Give Yourself Kind Attention While Taking Slow, Deep Breaths: The goal of mindfulness meditation is not to suppress thoughts and emotions nor to indulge in them. The goal is to observe whatever enters your awareness without emotional reaction or judgement. A helpful metaphor is to look at feelings, thoughts, and external sensations/experiences as “clouds floating by in the sky of your mind, allowing them to gently pass without reaction.” If you feel yourself indulging or reacting to your thoughts and feelings or if you feel overly distracted while sitting in silence, bring your awareness and focus to your breath. Feel your lungs and stomach expand and retract while breathing slowly. If needed, it can help to breath in to the count of 6 and out to the count of 6. Alternatively, you can imagine your inhale as one color (for example calming blue moving through your nose and filling your lungs), and your exhale as another color (tension filled red being released from you body). Experience this phenomenon of “kind attention” for 5 to 10 minutes or until the pre-set timer runs out. Sometimes if I feel I am in a particular flow, I will continue beyond the timer until I reach a feeling of natural conclusion.
· Bonus Idea to Level Up- Journaling! Keep a log/journal of your experiences to track your progress. This will also help you gain awareness of any changes that need to be made to your routine. Note what time of day you practiced, what you experienced, and if you have had any psychological or physical changes occur. I have included a sample printable PDF here. It is ok if your first entry reads something like this, “I felt my mind wander and felt judgmental toward myself.” “I had difficulty focusing on my breath.” “I fell asleep in my practice- ha!” “No benefits are coming from this.” Remember, changing the brain takes time.
Ideally, mindfulness meditation should be done daily and in tandem with cultivating mindfulness regularly through other rituals and activities. For example:
Enjoying your morning coffee or tea while using all of your senses (noticing its color, its smell, the way the cup feels, the cups temperature, the flavors, etc.).
Placing your hand on your heart while saying something kind to yourself such as, “Good Morning Stephanie.”
Fully experiencing the physical sensation of doing a quick stretch between tasks
Eating a meal without any distractions (i.e. checking phone, reading a newspaper, making a shopping list, etc.).
Engaging in active listening by giving your full attention to the person who is speaking.
Petting your dog, cat, or other pet while noticing the details of their eyes, ears, nose, and whiskers, hearing the sounds they make, and feeling the texture of their fur.
Observing the colors and shapes in the sky while watching the sun go down.
Identifying and naming things that you are grateful for before going to bed.
Identifying and naming hard emotions as they arise in the moment.
Taking a mindful shower, embracing the sensorial experience of the warmth or coolness of the water, the smell of the soap, etc.
MINDFULNESS BENEFITS
Relaxation is a byproduct of mindfulness meditation, but the real benefit is the ability to emotionally regulate and reduce the stress response by decreasing reactions to cognitions (i.e. thoughts) that lead to stress spiraling. Such cognitions include ruminating over the past, planning or panicking about the future, or labeling and making judgements about oneself or the human experience. Mindfulness helps us to “cut new paths” in the brain, leading to new ways of thinking and processing. Of course, some cognitions are like well-worn paths or “superhighways” that you are used to traveling on every day. Cutting a new path takes time, but the rewards are significant.
WHY WON’T MY BRAIN JUST QUIET DOWN?
Our brains are not necessarily designed to stay quiet. When we are not actively focusing on something, the brain falls back on a kind of default setting called the Default Mode Network (DMN). When the DMN is activated, our minds wander. This wandering can lead us to a creative mindset and productive problem-solving (which is great!) or back to the superhighway of anxious thoughts and feelings that are worrisome and painfully focused on the past or future (not so great). Regularly practicing meditation allows us to quiet this negative or chaotic chattering of the mind over time and begin living more fully in the present.
OTHER MEDITATIVE PRACTICES FOR HEALING
There are many types of meditation and each one has its own unique benefits.
Coherent Breathing (CB) is diaphragmatic or “tummy” breathing at about 5.5 breaths per minute. I practice this type of meditation by using pre-set chime sounds, set at 6 second intervals, which let me know when it is time to breath in or breath out. CB works by sending messages to an important nerve in our body, the vagus nerve. When breath slows down, the vagus nerve communicates with the brain, “Hey, we are all good here! We are ok in this moment.” This helps the body move out of fight-flight-freeze mode which decreases all of the biological ruckus it causes in our body (fast heart rate, spiked cortisol levels, anxious energy activation, etc.). Over time, this can help the brain move out of the stress and trauma cycle. CB is the easiest, most accessible, and most powerful tool in terms of bang for your buck (time and effort spent).
Yoga Nidra promotes deep rest and relaxation and is intended for use before bed. It can be a valuable tool in treating insomnia and reducing anxious thoughts and feelings as you prepare for sleep. This practice is typically done through guided meditation. One example I personally enjoy can be found on Insight Timer: Yoga Nidra Freedom Nature by Jennifer Piercy. However, there are many options on all kinds of different platforms. I have found that one of the most important factors when searching for an appropriate guided meditation is finding a recording featuring a voice that you find soothing.
Loving Kindness Meditations nurture empathy, connection, and forgiveness. It involves mentally sending goodwill and warmth toward ourselves and others. I have found this to be one of the single most powerful tools for healing trauma and reducing shame, guilt, rage, and other tough emotions. One example that I enjoy is Developing Loving Kindness by Bodhipaksa which can be found on Insight Timer. Again, it is important to find a voice that works for you, so if Scottish accents aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other options available.
Contemplative Prayer is a way to engage with mindfulness from a spiritual or faith-based perspective. There are many traditional ways to practice contemplative prayer, from focusing on and repeating a phrase or word from a sacred text, focusing on breathing in the creator’s renewing life, or simply taking time to be alone with and share space with the divine presence. I find this practice to help build compassion and interconnectedness.
Meditative Walking combines a number of beneficial elements into one powerful practice: movement, nature, fresh air, and mindfulness. The goal here is to be present with the sensations that you normally take for granted. Rather than zipping around, ignoring your environment, and indulging in racing thoughts, spend time feeling and observing the movement of your legs, the contact of your feet with the earth, your posture, and the sights, smells, and sounds around you. This mindfulness practice is great for those who have trouble sitting still.