The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Many of us spend a great deal of time, ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. Recent research by Harvard University, suggests these habits of mind are bigger predictor of unhappiness than how a person spends their time. Meditation has been shown to be an effective way to train our minds so we are not so easily lost in unhelpful and negative mind states; The Tibetan word for meditation, "gom" can be translated as familiarising and habituating. The Pali word for meditation is Bhavana which means 'to cultivate’ and the Tibetan word for mindfulness is Dren pa, which means ‘to remember’. Through meditation we learn to familiarise ourselves with our minds, so we can learn to notice how we create our own suffering and through repeated practice we develop a capacity to cultivate more beneficial mental habits. So in developing greater awareness and attention through meditation practices, we can reduce the arising of negative emotional states though the cultivation of non reactivity, breaking the habitual patterns we have often developed over many years.

Mindfulness meditation is now being widely used in a number of psychological interventions to help people manage anxiety, depression, stress, chronic pain and other chronic medical conditions.

Research also suggests mindfulness meditation has been associated with other broad benefits, such as:

  • Being less affected by unpleasant thoughts and feelings

  • Being less judgmental and better able to let difficult things go

  • Bolstered immune system and reduced stress

  • Improved performance in tasks that require sustained focus

  • Experiencing a sense of calmness, peacefulness and happiness

  • Being more compassionate towards yourself and others leading to greater self esteem and improved relational capacities

One to One Mindfulness Coaching Sessions

Mindfulness coaching sessions let you work flexibly, exploring mindfulness in a way that suits you, whether you are new to mindfulness meditation or already have an established practice.

One option is to go through an eight week course with me over eight sessions; another is to explore mindfulness organically, focusing on the elements that are relevant to you right now.

I also offer one-to-one distance learning via phone or Skype

Jon kabat Zinn,  Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Kabat-Zinn was a student of Buddhist teachers such as Thich Nhat Hanh and Zen Master Seung Sahn and a founding member of Cambridge Zen Center.

 

Google Tech Talk September 23, 2009 ABSTRACT Presented by Richard J. Davidson In this talk, Richard J. Davidson will explore recent scientific research on the neuroscience of positive human qualities and how they can be cultivated through contemplative practice.

Neuroscientist Richard Davidson on the neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation 

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche - discussion on Meditation and Going Beyond Mindfulness - A Secular Perspective