Overall, mindfulness should indeed be incorporated into schools and curriculums. There have been multiple studies shown there have been tremendous improvement in mental health, improvement of attention and most importantly decrease in stress. One of the studies I talked about was the .b program this was a great intervention to be introduce mindfulness. The .b program was a school project to see if mindfulness was indeed effective. In order for these practices to be effective the key is to be consistent. Just like the program stated it needs to be five to ten sessions on mindfulness to feel a different. At the end of the day we do not know what the students are going through at home sometimes it will be high school students that are the soul
The origin of mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist philosophy and practice tradition which is more than two and half thousand years old. Mindfulness can be practisced by anyone of any faith and religion and involves training the mind and doesn’t enforce any religious belief system.
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,
Impulse control and decision-making, both executive functions, are believed to center in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (Bechara, Damasio, Damasio, & Anderson, 1994). Damage to this area increases deficits in decision making (Bechara et. al.,1994). Research has shown that chronic heroin use negatively impacts an individual’s ability to restrain impulses, leading to lack of planning and decreased adaptive and social cognition (Pau, Lee, & Chan, 2001). Heroin is a powerful opiate that crosses the blood-brain barrier and produces potent euphoria (Pau, Lee, & Chan, 2001). Impulse control is defined as an individual’s tendency to act on arising wishes or urges (Murphy & Mackillop, 2012). Greater mindfulness has been shown to decrease substance dependent individuals’ urge to use substances (Murphy & Mackillop, 2012). Mindfulness focuses on the emphasis on staying in the present moment, the natural impermanence of things in an individual’s environment, and the awareness of actions such as noticing what is experienced without judgment or reactive behavior (Murphy & Mackillop, 2012). Research on the implementation of mindfulness techniques and their ability to decrease impulsivity is necessary in order to examine the ways heroin-dependent adults react cognitively, behaviorally, and physiologically to external stimuli.
Mindfulness is used as a therapy to treat many problems related to mental health such as stress, anxiety or even eating disorders (Hooker and Fodor, 2008). In addition majority of techniques used in mindfulness originate from Buddhist traditions (Rosenberg, 1998, Cited in Thompson and Gauntlett-Gilbert, 2008). Professionals working with children in mental health settings may find mindfulness applicable. The different techniques used in these types of settings teach self-awareness, increased impulse control and decreased emotional reactivity to difficult events (Thompson and Gauntlett-Gilbert). Research conducted on adults has shown that these effects can be obtained in the long term which suggests that mindfulness can be applied to children who are going through developmental challenges and have still yet to encounter
It’s easy to think that mindfulness is a relatively new fad, with companies like Google inviting Zen masters to launch their Mindful Lunches. Maybe we think it’s a new need in today’s fast-paced life or because of a modern desire to be more productive. Mindfulness and meditation, however, are mentioned in ancient texts such as the Bible and have been around for thousands of years.
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,
In schools, mindfulness interventions most commonly include meditation practices focusing on breathing and awareness of emotions. According to Follette et al. (2006), “Mindfulness practices provide a method in which people can practice experiencing thoughts and feelings that have been avoided in the past” (p. 58). These studies and interventions have mainly focused on improving students’ behavior (Felver et al., 2013; Greco et al., 2008; Lee et al. 2008; Semple et al. 2010). Students who are suffering from long-term effects of trauma are often found to act out in school, avoid work, fixate on thoughts, and show a lack of flexibility (Follette et al. 2006). These students are more likely than their peers to experience maladaptive
The terms mindfulness and presence are often used interchangeably within the mental health field; however, without mindfulness the ability to be present may be null and void. Even though there are several references to mindfulness within research and literature (Bien, 2006; Cole & Ladas-Gaskin, 2007; Germer, 2005; Germer, Siegel, & Fulton, 2005; Hick, 2008; Linehan, 1993a, 1993b; Mace, 2008; McKay, Brantley, & Wood, 2007; Shapiro & Carlson, 2009), the expansive use of the term can lose its meaning. Originally based in Buddhist philosophy, mindfulness has been adapted by Western society and more specifically, within the counseling field. To be completely mindful is to be aware of the full range of experiences that exist in the present moment
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.
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.
(Wilber, 2000) further states that mindfulness is important for enhancement and maintenance of our well-being. It might be a predictable variable of eyewitness accuracy because by being mindful people can be more aware of their current experience rather than being worried about the past or the future (Cardaciotto et al 2008). In addition, by being aware people can accept their experience as what it is, letting go of judgments, elaboration or interpretation. There is no effort to avoid or escape to their experience (Cardaciotto et al 2008). Mindfulness training by doing learning meditation and yoga can help reducing and improve problems such as anxiety (Hofmann et al, 2010) and depression (Teasdale et al, 2000;
(Tolstoy 6) Here, Tolstoy depicts the ideals of care or living at the time. Mindfulness-based practices increases productivity and lessens pressure. Focus, lucidity and the nature of all that we take care of enhances when we engross ourselves in what is present. Moreover, when the static foundation in our minds is quieted, space is made for positive feelings.
By utilizing a set of research methods, that inducts different types of mindfulness meditation training programs, and advanced mindfulness practitioners to matched control, with a capitulation of detection that enhance our understanding of the nature of mindfulness. While providing insights that will help me to target symptoms and populations that are likely to benefit from mindfulness meditation
Doing so would give me a better idea of what to expect as well as identify any potential problems. In any event, since mindfulness is new to me as well, the more practice I have with it the better I can guide my students through it. Preparing my students for it is a different story. My idea is to open up a discussion about it first, just to get the kids thinking about the concept and opening them up to the idea of trying it. And then, conducting a short activity as a test run, possibly without the kids even knowing it. For instance; a short pre-test stress reduction activity. Then if the response is good, and they noticed a difference or liked the impact it made they’ll be more motivated to
10-Minute Mindfulness appeals to me because I am at a time in my life where peace and