| Mindfulness Meditation (Vipassana) | | | | incorporating mindful approaches to moments of |
| Mindfulness meditation involves experiencing | | | | everyday life. A person takes a simple situation |
| whatever thoughts goes through the mind, | | | | and merely observes it without promoting |
| without reacting to them. By training your mind to | | | | thoughts in a particular direction. |
| observe, without reacting or thinking your mind | | | | Benefits of Mindfulness Meditations |
| becomes clear, and calm. | | | | People who regularly practice mindfulness |
| Mindfulness-based meditation is actually based on | | | | meditation tend to develop a more positive |
| Buddhist Vipassana meditation. It was developed | | | | relationship with their bodies. They change their |
| by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of | | | | habits to improve their health and well-being. |
| Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979 as a | | | | How to Perform Mindfulness Meditation |
| method for people to cope with chronic pain. | | | | The practice of mindfulness meditation requires |
| Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness meditation involves being | | | | the person to be fully conscious of his or her |
| "mindful" or aware of the continuously passing | | | | surroundings while simply observing thoughts |
| parade of sensations and feelings, images, | | | | without making judgments about them and then |
| thoughts, sounds, smells, and so forth of your | | | | moving on. The goal of mindfulness meditation is |
| immediate surroundings without becoming involved | | | | not to go into a trance, but rather to remain fully |
| in thinking about them. | | | | mindful and observe all of the surroundings but |
| Mindfulness meditation involves zooming out and | | | | without acting on them. The key is to remain |
| instead of focusing on an object, sound or | | | | peacefully conscious without allowing your mind to |
| thought, you become aware of the entire field. | | | | wander or react to the thoughts. The easiest |
| Intent of Mindfulness Meditation | | | | way to begin to train the mind for this type of |
| The intent of mindfulness meditation, besides | | | | meditation is to concentrate on your breathing |
| clearing and calming the mind, is to (1) enable you | | | | and posture. |
| to stop and appreciate life for all it has to offer | | | | After focusing intently on these things, you then |
| and (2) to develop a skill that enables you to | | | | expand your concentration to the thoughts. Do |
| respond less impulsively and more effectively. | | | | not try to repress or encourage these thoughts, |
| Types of Mindfulness Meditation | | | | just serve the thoughts and then move to the |
| There are two kinds of mindful meditation - | | | | next.You can practice formal mindfulness |
| formal and informal. Yoga and Tai chi are two | | | | meditation, which will also include a physical |
| good examples of the formal type. | | | | approach (concentrating on posture as well) or an |
| Formal Mindfulness Meditation | | | | informal approach where you just become mindful |
| In a yoga class, and during tai chi, participants | | | | to moments of everyday life., simply observing |
| focus intently on their breathing and the postures, | | | | without promoting thoughts in any particular |
| moving slowly from one position to the next, | | | | direction (remember the wide angle lens |
| exquisitely aware of their feelings during the | | | | approach). |
| process. Practitioners are taught to concentrate | | | | Conclusion |
| on their breathing and its passage through the | | | | Though it sounds simple, mindfulness takes |
| body as they dismiss any distracting thoughts. | | | | practice, and the longer you practice, the easier |
| Informal Mindfulness Meditation | | | | the process becomes. |
| Informal mindfulness meditation involves | | | | |