Mindfulness is a powerful way to journey through life. It is being able to develop a moment-to-moment awareness of your life experience as it unfolds. It is being aware of your body, your thoughts and your emotions with an openness and friendly willingness to better understand yourself and the world around you. It's being present and awake for the joys in each day and experiencing all of life’s challenges without being overwhelmed by them. Mindfulness helps you find physical and mental calm in a very demanding world, so that you can respond with inner wisdom, compassion and insight. The latest research has also shown that mindfulness not only reduces stress, it literally can change the the structure and function of our brains.
What are the Benefits of Mindfulness?
The many health benefits to practicing mindfulness include: (links to research are in blue)
greater mental clarity and balance
greater ability to respond to difficult situations and make wise decisions
increased empathy and connection with others
Research has Shown . . .
A growing body of scientific research has shown significant health benefits from practicing mindfulness to conditions such as:
Studies have shown that through mindfulness meditation we can alter the structure and function of our brains. Much like going to the gym and building muscle, we now know that we can also strengthen our brains through mental exercise. We already know about healthy eating and exercise, but we are just beginning to understand how keeping our brains healthy and strong can greatly impact our overall health and wellbeing!
Neuroscientists have found that after just a few weeks of mindfulness meditation, practitioners had measurable structural changes in parts of theirs brains involved in stress, focus and self-control, memory, sense of self and empathy. New studies, like this Harvard MRI study, are finding that we can actually change our brains through mindfulness practice.
““Our personalities, thought patterns and emotional responses are wired into our brains, but you can change your brain and rewire the neural pathways to help you think more positively, become more self-aware, focus better, understand social cues, ease your emotional triggers and grow more resilient.”
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““It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life.” ”
What Can Mindfulness Do for You?
More research on the benefits of mindfulness. Click the links in blue below to read more research articles.
Enhance Focus, Performance & Productivity
Mindfulness has proven to be a powerful tool in enhancing performance by increasing focus, attention and resilience. Many schools, universities, athletic teams and even corporations like Intel, Dow Chemical, Aetna, Google, Goldman Sachs and General Mills have offered mindfulness training that resulted in improved performance, resiliency, decision making and productivity.
Increase Positivity
& Happiness
Studies have shown that people who trained in mindfulness experienced higher levels of positivity, life satisfaction, vitality, and adaptive emotion regulation, and lower levels of depression, anxiety and negativity.
Decrease Stress
Researchers at Stanford and Harvard Universities studied individuals who participated in eight-week mindfulness-based programs and discovered structural changes in their brains corresponding to areas of the brain that regulate emotion and the stress response. Other similar studies, found that participants in such programs experienced a significant reduction in stress and anxiety.
