Some of life’s deepest pleasures and pathways for spiritual growth come from mindfulness meditation benefits.
Mindfulness is the fundamental human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s happening around us.
It isn’t all in your imagination—you may practice mindfulness by sitting down for a formal meditation session or being more intentional and conscious of your daily activities.
If you would love to learn more about mindfulness and how to practice mindfulness meditation, keep reading along.
Practicing Mindfulness on the Fly
Every activity we do during the day—brushing our teeth, lunchtime, casual conversation, or exercise—can be done more mindfully.
We become more aware of what we’re doing when conscious of our behavior. It’s the opposite of going through the motions; instead, you’re tuned in to your senses, noting your thoughts and feelings.
You may practice mindfulness even when you’re too busy to meditate by incorporating it into your day-to-day life.
Learning to Meditate
Begin by determining how long you’ll “practice.” Otherwise, you may get caught up in the debate of when to stop. If you’re starting, picking a short period, like five or ten minutes, might be helpful.
You may eventually reach twice as long, then perhaps 45 minutes or an hour. Use a kitchen or phone timer to keep track of the time. Many individuals prefer one session each morning and evening.
Doing something is better than doing nothing if you feel your life is busy and you have little time. You can do more when you have a little space and time.
Find a good location in your house, especially one that isn’t cluttered and where you can find peace. Turn the lights on or sit in natural light if possible. You may even sit outside if you wish; however, pick a location with as few distractions as possible.
The sitting meditation posture can be used as the first stage in a period of meditation practice or as a stand-alone activity to help you relax for a minute before returning to your busy life. You may adapt this exercise to fit your needs if you have pain or other physical issues.
How to Sit for Mindfulness Meditation
Take your seat. Find a position that offers you a solid, secure seat, not one where you’re perched or hanging back whatever you’re sitting on—a chair, a meditation cushion, or a park bench.
Notice what your legs are doing. Cross your legs comfortably in front of you on the floor, or sit upright with a cushion on your lap. (If you’ve already done some sitting yoga posture, go ahead.) It’s ideal if the bottoms of your feet are touching the ground while sitting in a chair.
Straighten—but don’t stiffen—your upper body. The spine has a natural curvature. Allow it to be so. Your head and shoulders may rest comfortably on top of your vertebrae.
Situate your upper arms parallel to your upper body. The secret to retaining this posture is simple: don’t move. The ideal time for you to take a break might be before or after your workout, but you must give your body some rest.
There’s a constant flow of wealth, time, and energy in our world today.
The only thing we need to do is learn to step into the flow.
It’s sad to say, but just about everything that you’ve been taught has been a lie.
After all, why are you reading this right now?
CLICK HERE and change all that!
Drop your chin a little and let your gaze fall gently downward. You may lower your eyelids if you like. If you feel the need, you can close your eyes, but it’s not necessary to do so when practicing meditation. You may allow what appears before you to be there without focusing on it.
Be there for a few moments. Relax. Concentrate on your breath or any physical sensations you’re experiencing.
Feel your breath as it goes out and as it goes in. (Some versions of this practice emphasize the out-breath; for the in-breath, you leave a spacious pause.) Either way, draw your attention to the physical sensation of breathing: the air moving through your nose or mouth, the rising and falling of your belly or chest. Choose your focal point; with each breath, you can mentally note “breathing in” and “breathing out.”
Inevitably, your attention will leave the breath and wander to other places. Don’t be concerned. There’s no need to block or get rid of your thinking. When you notice your mind has strayed—in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes—return your attention to the breath.
Practice pausing before physical changes, such as moving your body or scratching an itch. Shift at a time of your choosing with intention, providing space between what you are experiencing and what you choose to do.
You may find your attention straying frequently—that’s natural, too. Instead of battling or engaging with those ideas as much, practice observing without reacting. Sit and pay attention. That is the most challenging aspect to maintain; nevertheless, that is all. Return again and again without judgment or hope for something better.
When you’re ready, slowly raise your gaze (if your eyes are closed, open them). Take a minute to listen to any noises in the environment. How does your body feel right now? Keep track of your thoughts and feelings. Make a decision about how you’d like to continue your day after taking a break.
That’s all there is to it. That’s the routine. It’s been claimed that it is quite easy, but this isn’t always true. The goal is to continue doing so. Results will follow as a result of your efforts.
The 5 Major Mindfulness Meditation Benefits
While mindfulness meditation has countless benefits, here are the most significant ones. People who practice mindfulness understand quite well the importance of routine when manifesting these benefits.
Mindfulness is suitable for our hearts
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming about a fourth of all yearly fatalities. Whatever lowers the chances or symptoms of heart disease would significantly impact society’s health. Mindfulness may be an aid in this regard.
A recent study that followed over 200 employees for 3 months found those who participated in a mindfulness program had lower risks of developing cardiovascular disease. And another study of 100 heart attack survivors found that participants who did a mindfulness meditation course had less anxiety and depression, and their physical symptoms improved.
So how does mindfulness help our hearts? One theory is that it helps to control stress levels. The autonomic nervous system regulates many unconscious functions, like heart rate and blood pressure. This system goes into overdrive when stressed, leading to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems. Mindfulness may help to tone down the autonomic nervous system response to stress, keeping our heart health in check.
Aside from reducing stress, mindfulness has also been shown to help with other risk factors for heart disease, such as improving sleep quality, lowering blood sugar levels, and reducing inflammation.
While more research is needed to understand precisely how mindfulness helps our hearts, the evidence is promising. If you’re looking for ways to reduce your risk of heart disease, adding mindfulness to your routine may be an excellent place to start.
Mindfulness can lower cognitive decline from aging
As people get older, they tend to lose some of their cognitive flexibility and short-term memory. Mindfulness, on the other hand, maybe able to postpone cognitive decline in persons with Alzheimer’s disease.
A recent study found that people who did an eight-week mindfulness meditation program had better scores on tests of working memory and executive function (the ability to pay attention, switch tasks, and keep track of information) than those who didn’t meditate.
The meditation group also had less activity in the part of the brain that declines with age. This suggests that mindfulness meditation may help preserve brain function as we age.
If you’re interested in mindfulness meditation, many resources are available online and in libraries. Once you get started, you may find meditating with a group or using a guided meditation recording helpful.
Mindfulness can improve your body’s immune response
Our bodies produce troops of immune cells that move through the blood when we come into contact with viruses and other disease-causing organisms. These cells, which include pro- and anti-inflammatory proteins, neutrophils, T-cells, immunoglobulins, and natural killer cells, aid us in our fight against illness and infection in various ways. It turns out that mindfulness may have an impact on these disease-fighting cells.
“Mindfulness can help to regulate the body’s inflammatory response,” says Dr. Willoughby Britton, a psychiatrist, and neuroscientist at Brown University who studies the neuroscience of mindfulness and meditation. “It may do this by affecting the activity of certain genes involved in inflammation.”
In one study, for example, researchers found that people with a greater mindfulness capacity had lower levels of pro-inflammatory genes. In another study, people who underwent an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program had changes in the activity of their gene networks, including those related to immunity and inflammation.
These findings suggest that mindfulness may help to enhance our body’s immune response. “It is possible that mindfulness, through its effects on gene expression, could help to protect against conditions like colds and flu,” says Dr. Britton. “It may also help to reduce the severity of these conditions if we become ill.”
So, consider adding mindfulness to your routine to boost your body’s defenses this season.
Mindfulness can help regulate the body’s inflammatory response by affecting the activity of specific genes involved in inflammation. In one study, people with a greater mindfulness capacity had lower levels of pro-inflammatory genes. These findings suggest that mindfulness may help to enhance our body’s immune response and protect against conditions like colds and flu.
Mindfulness can reduce the aging of the body’s cells
Cells age naturally as they divide during their existence, and it can also be induced by disease or stress. Mindfulness meditation appears to affect proteins known as telomeres located at the extremities of chromosomes and help protect them from aging.
A study of over 3,500 adults found that those who practiced mindfulness meditation had longer telomeres than those who didn’t.
Other studies have found that mindfulness can help reduce stress and improve overall health, which can also impact the aging process. While more research is needed to confirm these findings, it’s clear that mindfulness meditation can positively affect aging at the cellular level.
Mindfulness can reduce psychological pain
Of course, while the aforementioned physiological advantages of mindfulness are compelling, we should not overlook the fact that this practice also impacts our psychological well-being, which influences our physical health. In reality, it’s quite probable that these modifications interact beneficially.
It’s well-documented that stress is a significant health hazard. When we experience chronic stress, our bodies remain highly alert, which can lead to many problems, from ulcers and migraines to heart disease and stroke. Mindfulness is an effective way to reduce stress. In one study, for example, employees who underwent eight weeks of mindfulness training reported lower levels of stress than those who didn’t receive the training.
But it’s not just stress that mindfulness can help with. Research has also shown that mindfulness can reduce psychological pain, such as anxiety, depression, and addiction. For instance, one study found that people with a generalized anxiety disorder who underwent eight weeks of mindfulness training had significantly lower levels of anxiety than those who didn’t receive the training.
So, if you’re struggling with psychological pain, mindfulness might be worth a try. Not only can it help reduce the pain itself, but it can also have a positive impact on your overall physical health.
There’s a constant flow of wealth, time, and energy in our world today.
The only thing we need to do is learn to step into the flow.
It’s sad to say, but just about everything that you’ve been taught has been a lie.
After all, why are you reading this right now?
CLICK HERE and change all that!
