Mindfulness Meditation = Stress Reduction
A cognitive exercise to increases your mental capacity with positive physiological effects
Mindfulness meditation has gained mass appeal in recent years. Rooted in ancient contemplative practices (Buddhism a major influence), mindfulness involves intentionally focusing on the present moment without judgment. Don’t live thinking about the past, nor spending time trying to forecast the future - be present. Don’t think of things that enter the conscious brain as good or bad - without judgment.
Stress is one of the major factors that impacts mental health and overall well-being, especially chronic stress. Studies on mindfulness practices have demonstrated their effects on stress reduction, one comprehensive, key study was put out a little less than 10 years ago: Tang, Y. Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213–225.
What’s further interesting is that mindfulness when reviewed by MRI shows results that ‘strengthen’ your prefrontal cortex - the area of the brain that is used for functions like cognitive control and emotional regulation. So similar to doing physical exercise to build additional capacity in your muscles, spending time in mindful activities builds additional capacity in your brain!
It’s often faster to pick up a mindfulness practice if you have a coach to teach you more about it. But to get you attuned to what to expect, here are a few background exercises that are common in a mindfulness practice.
Simple Mindfulness Meditation Techniques
Breath Awareness: Sit comfortably and focus on paying attention to your breath. Being present, observe each inhalation and exhalation without judgment. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to focusing on the breath.
Body Scan: Lie down or sit with eyes closed. Mentally scan [slowly] your body from head to toe, noticing sensations without trying to change them. This practice enhances body awareness and relaxation.
Loving-Kindness Meditation: This one is like its name implies - you extend compassion to yourself and others. To do this, you repeat phrases like “May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be safe.” Gradually extend these wishes to loved ones, acquaintances, and even those you find challenging. This is one that can potentially be the hardest to stay present in, when you start bringing others into focus.
Benefits of Regular Practice
Consistent mindfulness practice yields several benefits - we already talked above about it being an exercise for the prefrontal cortex - but what about other effects?
Stress Management: Mindfulness reduces cortisol levels - the stress hormone. Regular mindfulness practice helps to combat the effects of chronic stress while promoting mental resilience.
Improved Focus and Attention: I think of this also as “heightened awareness” - since mindfulness enhances attentional control and reduces mind-wandering, you are better equipped to stay in the present - and the longer you stay in the present, the more likely you are to observe things that you may have otherwise missed. The added focus can lead to better productivity and cognitive performance.
Emotional Regulation: By observing emotions without judgment, you train yourself to become less reactive. When you are less reactive and present, you can call to action other tools you have learned to see the event for what it is, and move toward a healthier response - which still may be challenging, but it will not be led by your lizard brain being a bull in a China shop.
Toward Wellth Components
As mentioned earlier, mindfulness is something that needs to be learned, practiced, and developed over time. Toward Wellth will offer programming where the basics of mindfulness will be taught over the course of several weeks - again with the goal that these classes will be free or heavily subsidized so that they are accessible to all.
Once the basics are learned, there will be a variety of group events that can be follow on programming.
Group Meditation Events
Using the semi-private group rooms, we will create a serene environment with soft lighting, cushions/yoga mats, and calming music. Guided mindfulness meditations will be led by an instructor or played from recorded audio of one of the Toward Wellth instructors. These events will reinforce social connection while promoting mental well-being.
Mindfulness is a journey, much like ‘critical thinking skills’- it will never be completely attained as a perfect skill. You should thus think of it as a skill you embrace gradually, there is no race to a finish line, instead you celebrate small victories along the way - as you are present. As you cultivate a mindfulness practice, you’ll discover its transformative effects on stress reduction and overall health.
There are also plenty of online resources to help get you started with a mindfulness practice. There are meditations. Some are live, some are recorded. I don’t have a particular one I endorse specifically but the Insight Timer app is one that had been suggested to me and I found it to be somewhat useful (but much prefer in-person meditations) - there’s something more spiritual about sharing the experience with other people - much like the special feeling you get when you share a meal with another person.