Meditation is both a skill and an experience. Becoming more aware of the present moment can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better. The practice of mindfulness has many physical and mental benefit. It has been used as a potential tool for weight management,[1] to achieve optimal athletic performance,[2] as a beneficial intervention for children with special needs and their parents,[3] as a viable treatment option for people with insomnia[4] an effective intervention for healthy ageing,[5] as a strategy for managing dermatological conditions[6] and as a useful intervention during pregnancy and the perinatal period.[7] Recent studies have also demonstrated that mindfulness meditation significantly attenuates physical pain through multiple, unique mechanisms.[8]
Origins of Mindfulness
The origins of mindfulness lie in teachings from the East, and particularly from the Buddhist traditions, where mindfulness is the 7th step of the Nobel Eight-fold Path taught by The Buddha, who lived almost 2,500 years ago. Although originating in Buddhism, there is nothing inherently religious about mindfulness. Thich Nhat Nanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and teacher, was the first person who brought mindfulness to the attention of Westerners. It was on a retreat he led in the US that an American scientist, Jon Kabat-Zinn first realised the appropriateness of mindfulness in the treatment of chronic medical conditions. Jon Kabat-Zinn established the Centre for Mindfulness in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to treat chronic conditions for which physicians could offer no further help. His success sparked a growing interest to application of mindfulness ideas and practices in medical world.
So why meditate?
Thirty years of research have shown that meditation makes positive neurological changes to the brain. It cultivates awareness and compassion, improves memory and concentration, positively affects our relationships, reduces levels of stress, frustration and depression, helps with anxiety and sleeping disorders. Practicing mindfulness we are training our mind to be more open and at ease. Life sometimes gets very busy and stressful. While we can't control what happens, we can choose how we react to the events. Awareness allows us to better understand how and why we think and feel the way we do, often resulting in a healthier perspective on life.
List of References
[1] Rogers, Jeffrey M; Ferrari, Madeleine; Mosely, Kylie; Lang, Cathryne P; Brennan, Leah (2017), "Mindfulness-based interventions for adults who are overweight or obese: A meta-analysis of physical and psychological health outcomes", Obesity Reviews, 18 (1): 51–67. Also see Stanton, Michael V; Matsuura, Justin; Fairchild, Jennifer Kaci; Lohnberg, Jessica A; Bayley, Peter J (2016), "Mindfulness as a Weight Loss Treatment for Veterans", Frontiers in Nutrition, 3: 30. [2] Colzato, Lorenza S; Kibele, Armin (2017), "How Different Types of Meditation Can Enhance Athletic Performance Depending on the Specific Sport Skills", Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 1 (2): 122–26. [3] Petcharat, Manika; Liehr, Patricia (2017), "Mindfulness training for parents of children with special needs: Guidance for nurses in mental health practice", Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 30 (1): 35–46. Fuchs, Wendy W; Mundschenk, Nancy J; Groark, Brian (2017), "A Promising Practice: School-Based Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Children with Disabilities", Journal of International Special Needs Education, 20 (2): 56–66. Cachia, Renee L; Anderson, Angelika; Moore, Dennis W (2016), "Mindfulness in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Narrative Analysis", Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 3 (2): 165–78. [4] Garland, Sheila N; Zhou, Eric S; Gonzalez, Brian D; Rodriguez, Nicole (2016), "The Quest for Mindful Sleep: A Critical Synthesis of the Impact of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Insomnia", Current Sleep Medicine Report, 2 (3): 142–151. Ong, Jason C; Smith, Christine E (2017), "Using Mindfulness for the Treatment of Insomnia", Current Sleep Medicine Reports, 3 (2): 57–65. [5] Kurth, Florian; Cherbuin, Nicolas; Luders, Eileen (2017), "Aging Mindfully to Minimize Cognitive Decline", Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 1 (2): 108–14. Xu, Jianbin (2017), "A Tripartite Function of Mindfulness in Adjustment to Aging: Acceptance, Integration, and Transcendence", The Gerontologist. Acevedo, Bianca P; Pospos, Sarah; Lavretsky, Helen (2016), "The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging", Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 3 (4): 328–39. [6] Hutton, Jane (Sep 2016), "How can mindfulness help patients with skin conditions", Dermatological Nursing, 15 (3): 32–35. [7] Isgut, Monica; Smith, Alicia K; Reimann, Eduardo Schuch; Kucuk, Omer; Ryan, Joanne (2017), "The impact of psychological distress during pregnancy on the developing fetus: Biological mechanisms and the potential benefits of mindfulness interventions", Journal of Perinatal Medicine, 45 (9): 999–1011. Dhillon, Anjulie; Sparkes, Elizabeth; Duarte, Rui V (2017), "Mindfulness-Based Interventions During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis", Mindfulness, 8 (6): 1421–37. Matvienko-Sikar, Karen; Lee, Laura; Murphy, Gillian; Murphy, Lisa (2016), "The effects of mindfulness interventions on prenatal well-being: A systematic review", Psychology & Health, 31 (12): 1415–34. [8] Zeidan, Fadel; Vago, David R (2016), "Mindfulness meditation-based pain relief: A mechanistic account", Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373 (1): 114–27.
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