Mindfulness and Meditation Practices

“If you look at today through the eyes of the past, you can never see what the present moment has to offer.” – Bryant McGill

Mindfulness is the workout for the mind. The same way that push-ups makes for stronger muscles, mindfulness makes for stronger minds. Minds that are ready to guide us through life’s challenges and to find the beauty in each moment.

In this article, you will find resources and videos to start your mindfulness journey.

The Benefits of Mindfulness & Meditation

Mindfulness is a practice with many benefits. Benefits that have been verified multiple times in research. A study (Donald et al., 2016) shows that present-moment awareness facilitates an adaptive response to stressors of daily life. Another study (Donald & Atkins, 2016) also found that mindfulness produces less avoidance and more approach coping as a stress response than relaxation or self-affirmation.

When a state of relaxation is induced, the benefits includes:

• Increased brain functioning
• Enhanced immune function
• Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
• Promotes awareness, attention, and focus
• Clarity in thoughts and perception
• Decreased anxiety levels
• Experience of calm and connectedness

 

 

Consistent Practice is Key

While a quick 5 minute occasional mindful breathing practice may help you stay calm in the moment, significant gains only comes from daily practice.

However, while regular practice is essential, it does not have to be a huge commitment. Even a quick, 10-minute daily practice can enhance cognition and self-regulation (Moore, Gruber, Derose, & Malinowski, 2012).

Though hard to put a timeline on meditation benefits, many research on the benefits of mindfulness are based on 5 to 8 weeks (or more) of regular practice.

Mindfulness Practices

Breathing

• Mindful breathing helps us relax and stay focused on the present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFdZXwE6fRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSgOW879jjA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfs5TJZ6Nk

 

Change Meditation (Boosting Resilience)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2Rb25x4DbQ

Joy Meditation (Strengthen Happiness)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ_NoYUvaGY

Relax, Ground, and Clear Meditation (Relieve Stress)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoCfRlKg3nM

Even More Mindfulness!

Online Mindfulness Practice:

• Stop, Breathe, & Think
  • https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkB9zEEqnP9kMIf5VChd99Q
• Calm
  • https://www.youtube.com/user/calmdotcom

Some mindfulness apps:

• REMEMBER: constant practice is key. Mindfulness is not a quick fix, however the results are worth waiting for.
  • Stop, Breathe & Think
    • Available on iOS and Android
    • Most of the sessions are short (up to 11 minutes)
    • Earn cute stickers as you progress!
  • Calm
    • Available on iOS and Android
  • Omvana
    • Available for iOS and Android
  • Aura
    • Available on iOS and Android
    • Receive a new, personalized, 3-minute meditation every day!
      • The same meditation never repeats
    • Targets stress, anxiety, and depression
  • Insight Timer
    • Available for iOS and Android
    • Features more than 4,000 guided meditations from over 1,000 teachers
    • Topics include self-compassion, nature, and stress
    • App as community: after you finish meditating, the app will show you how many people were meditating with you during that time

These are just some examples of meditation & mindfulness practices. The most important thing is to find the right fit for you and continue with it.

This comes to the end of the mindfulness article. But hopefully this is only the beginning of your mindfulness journey. May you find happiness and calmness in each moment.

 

References:

Donald, J. N., Atkins, P.W.B., Parker, P.D., Christie, A.M., & Ryan, R.M. (2016). Daily stress and the benefits of mindfulness: Examining the daily and longitudinal relations between present-moment awareness and stress responses. Journal of Research in Personality, 65, 30-37. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2016.09.002

Donald, J.N., & Atkins, P.W.B. (2016). Mindfulness and coping with stress: Do levels of perceived stress matter? Mindfulness 7, 1423-1436. doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0584-y

Moore, A., Gruber, T., Derose, J., & Malinowski, P. (2012). Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysical markers of attention control. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, 1-15. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00018

Videos from:

Stop, Breathe & Think
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkB9zEEqnP9kMIf5VChd99Q

Picture from:

https://www.inspirehealth.ca/blog/2016/07/mindful-mind-full-question/