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