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Benefits of buddhist meditation
Meditation and health easy
Essay on benefits of meditation
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My Mindfulness Experience At the beginning of my mindfulness journey, I felt frustrated as I began to realize how much I struggled with being in the present. I could not focus and I struggled to make it five minutes of practice. In the first two weeks, mindfulness felt like a chore. As I sat down to practice I would feel defeated each time. I did not really understand the point of mindfulness as focusing on breathing felt meaningless to me. My mind would wander each time I tried to focus on breathing and I began to realize how hard it was to still and control my mind. I knew that I was supposed to feel more relaxed and connected with my mind and body, but after each practice I felt more frustrated with myself. In the beginning I began to realize …show more content…
Prior to practicing mindfulness, I would run from place to place and moment to moment. I never took a moment to stop and take in all that surrounds me, because I was always too busy running towards the next big thing and looking for future happiness. Mindfulness was frustrating at the beginning, because for so long I was used to tuning things out and living in the present seemed like a waste of time. Once I began to live in the present it seemed as if I had a “senses awakening.” I was able to live in the present and experience all that life had to offer in the present and it exploded my mind with the beauty surrounding me that I missed. I was able to take in my surroundings through my senses and still my mind, which brought me back to the center. Through this sense of centering and living in the present, a walk from class to class became a time to touch base within my self and come back to the present before the next thing. I learned that stilling my self in the present creates a better me for the future and a happiness in the …show more content…
Living in the present allows me to live and tend to my thoughts and emotions that I often suppress or ignore. Working as a school counselor, I think that I will use mindfulness to help students with anxiety, behavior problems, and depression. I hope to use mindfulness in the future as I teach students how to use mindfulness in their own lives so that they can exist in the present and connect their mind with their body. Through using mindfulness in sessions with students and possibly in the classroom setting, I will give them a tool to help manage and become more self-aware of the thoughts and emotions they experience so they can learn how to better tend, express and manage them. However, without practicing mindfulness myself I would not have understood its power in the work of my client’s
Mindfulness originates from a deeply rooted system of contemplative practice. An individual cannot achieve the benefits of mindfulness training unless they continue practicing mindfulness techniques after the training is completed. By practicing meditation on a regular basis, mindfulness becomes an intentional practice (Holas & Jankowski,
There are many forms of mindfulness interventions, some of which include mindfulness based stress reduction, mindfulness based cognitive therapy, dialectic behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Some mindfulness interventions incorporate mindfulness meditation practices and skills and others incorporate psychological and behavioral versions of mindfulness skills. Mindfulness based interventions entail mindfulness meditation practices and skills gathered from Buddhist philosophical origins, and transformed into a secular context to encompass a more universal perspective and application. Through mindfulness group and in-home practices, individuals develop mindfulness skills and attitudes, which include focusing, maintaining attention through focusing on ones breath, accepting one’s current circumstance and experience, which also includes awareness of physical sensations, all by taking a non-judgmental stance. Furthermore, the three primary components of mindfulness are attitude, attention, and intention. Attitudinal components include non-judgment, acceptance, trust, patience, curiosity, and kindness; Attentional components include maintaining focus and the ability to switch focuses; Intentional components include having an intention to practice and to intentionally self-regulate ones attention. Incorporating these concepts into ones life helps the individual be able to shift their habitual patterns through observation and recognition, and embark on a path of reflective response rather than maladaptive reactive behavior (Burke,
For thousands of years people have practiced mediation for spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Albeit there are many mediation types, in this paper I will be discussing and focusing on mindfulness mediation. Before further exploring mindfulness mediation, it is crucial to define mediation as a whole. Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016 state “Meditation can be defined as a form of mental training that aims to improve an individual’s core psychological capacities, such as attentional and emotional capacities” (p.213). Having that in mind, we can dive into mindfulness mediation. Mindfulness meditation is defined as “nonjudgmental attention to present-moment experiences (Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016).” A useful analogy to consider is going to the gym, going to the gym allows one to enhance the body, well similarly, practicing mindfulness is akin to taking the mind to the psychic gym, it enhances it. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on your breathing and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present all while dismissing discursive thoughts and maintaining a special focus on breathing.
Let me give you some ways a beginner can start training in mindfulness quickly and easily.
Mindfulness is an ideal that has been present for thousands of years (positivepsychologyprogram.com). It has roots in almost every major religion: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and most renown, Buddhism and Hinduism (positivepsychologyprogram.com). Psychology Today defines mindfulness as “a state of active, open attention on the present.” Dr. Shauna Shapiro during a TEDx Talk defines mindfulness as “intentionally paying attention with kindness” (Shapiro, S., 2017). Mindfulness has many principles involved with it, but the short version is to be aware. It is to be aware of the present moment deliberately. Jon Kabat-Zinn, considered the father of the western movement for mindfulness by some, defines mindfulness as, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Bodhipaksa, 2007). We, as humans, get caught up in the business of life; so, we need to stay oriented to the present. Another way to describe this is “acting with awareness rather than on ‘automatic autopilot’” (Caldwell, et al, 2010). Mindfulness is non-judgmental about life. Mindfulness is to not be over-reactive by what’s going on around us (mindful.org). Mindfulness is being non-reactive to your environment. There are many things that stem from this thinking,
Stop what you are doing, clear your mind, and focus only on your breath. When your thoughts begin to wonder, refocus and bring them back to your breath. This seems like a simple task, but most of us struggle to clear our minds for more than a few moments. Today’s fast-paced and technology driven culture constantly bombards our senses and more importantly, our thoughts. Our thoughts are constantly commandeered by fantasies, anxieties, and worries. We spend most of our time reliving past events and pondering the future. We spend work days feeling resentful, wishing we were anywhere else. We sit through family dinners thinking about all the chores that need to be finished. We worry about attending the class reunion because we aren’t sure what everyone will think. We do all of these things rather than focus on the experiences happening right here and now. Most of us are aware of this behavior, and yet we do it anyway. We spend very little time in the present moment, not for lack of want
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, as a therapeutic technique. The M square, as I call it, which stands for Mindfulness and Meditation is making an impact on today’s society, as it has been used by more people with each passing day. They are starting to acknowledge the benefits, some of which are the improvement in both mental and physical health, acceptance of one’s self, lower stress and depression, and maybe more, but to mention a few. Not excluding these two great men: Dr. Martinez, a Biocognitive Psychologist, and Keith Mitchell, an ex-American football linebacker in the National Football League. Both Dr. Martinez and Keith are strong supporters and practitioners of meditation and mindfulness.
I feel that I have learned a lot from practicing mindfulness. I have learned that often I am unaware of what’s going on in my body. I have enjoyed doing mindfulness body scans before I go to bed each night and find that at times there are sensations, muscle tensions, or even pain that I was completely unaware of. I know the purpose of mindfulness isn’t relaxation, but as I became aware of tense areas of my body, I would relax them and at the end of mindfulness practice, I felt increased muscle relaxation. I also found that I fall asleep much faster when I do mindfulness. Mindfulness before bed also helps me to be present in the current moment instead of worrying about all the tasks I
Applying the first step in the Law of Pure Potentiality was very difficult for me because I live on campus. It was very difficult for me to meditate once a day, let alone twice a day. The only time I was able to, was in the morning when the rest of my roommates were sleeping. I wake up 15 minutes early, wash my face so that I do not fall back to sleep and then I go back into my room and sit on my bed to try and meditate. This works like 4 times a week because I am usually too tired and fall back to sleep. The days that I can stay awake and meditate I feel much happier with my self. It usually clears my head and makes it seem like I have no worries. Everyday I follow the second step of the Law of Pure Potentiality. I commune with nature. Most days I just sit in the green and watch the leaves blow around, I usually pick out one particular leaf and watch where it goes. I follow the leaf on its journey, it is really amazing. Once a week I try to go to Verona Park and stand on the bridge over the pond and watch the water flow and the geese and ducks swim. My time in the park and in the green really mellows me out because ...
Mindfulness is a concept or practice that was founded nearly 2600 years ago. It is a very integral component of the Buddhist faith and is believed to be associated with many benefits including self-control, tolerance, flexibility, objectivity, concentration, mental clarity, emotional intelligence, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and equanimity.
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
Practicing mindfulness is something that most people probably have on their daily to-do list, but never getting around to it because they either don’t believe it’ll work or feel too busy with their lives to stop for literally just a minute to breathe. When going into this activity, my to-do is exactly what was in mind. It’s the list that is never completed. So, having this as an actual assignment was exactly what I needed to get a jumpstart on my mindfulness techniques in my daily life.
In the past two decades, many philosophers, spiritual leaders, and psychological transitions have accentuated the importance of the quality of consciousness for the maintenance and enhancement of well-being. One of the characteristics of consciousness that has been discussed in relation to well-being is mindfulness. In concentration with the psychology discipline, mindfulness meditation practices have been increasingly used to treat a majority of pain, stress and anxiety-related conditions and also, increasing well-being. The ideology of mindfulness meditation has core roots in Buddhist philosophy and other pensive traditions where awareness and conscious attention are actively cultured (Brown, Kirk Warren,2003).
10-Minute Mindfulness appeals to me because I am at a time in my life where peace and simplicity are my priority. The stresses of everyday living cause emotional, physical and mental harm. A lifestyle change is needed to prevent further harm; mindfulness is a lifestyle change that requires dedication, practice and openness. Learning to live in the present moment, not the past or future, is key to reducing stress and becoming aware of the triggers that bring discord. This book provides support, guidance and encouragement in learning to be mindful.
Meditation is not a time devoted to thinking or reflecting about oneself, but a time to redirect one’s thoughts and emotions away from the outside world and onto something simple, such as the wind or one’s own breathe. By learning how to meditate, an individual can learn how to react appropriately to “the circumstances one finds oneself in, i...