Mindfulness Meditation Continued!

The beauty of Mindfulness Meditation is you don't necessarily need to "sit down" and practice mindfulness. It can be done anywhere! Use eating as a chance to do some MM - instead of shovelling a meal down in front of the TV or computer, actually focus on the sensation of eating, and the taste of your food. Turn off all other distractions and concentrate solely on the taste, texture, sound, smell and feel.

Or try same with taking a walk. Rather than spending the walk making your to-do list or ruminating on your thoughts, pay attention to what is in the now... concentrating only on the sights, sounds, smells and sensations in this moment. Notice any thoughts that come up, but then return your mind to your immediate surroundings.

I like practicing when I am on a bike ride down one of Melbourne's lovely quiet side streets. Not recommended in traffic though!

By learning to let thoughts "pass by" without becoming attached to them, MM teaches us is that our thoughts are just that - thoughts - not facts or irrefutable truths. In fact, more often or not they can be incorrect, especially when it comes to things which cause us anxiety.

How often have we spent time worrying and stressing over things that never even end up happening (*puts up hand and answers "often"!*) MM teaches us to be in the present moment, not projecting forward to this mythical non-existent future, or back into the past.

By learning it is possible to treat thoughts as neutral, MM also shows us we have ability to control how we react and respond to them. It gives us the opportunity to develop a "pause" after thoughts arise, not just during meditation... but in our daily life. Instead of following a thought down a habitual path of worry or anxiety we can now begin to choose how we are going to respond, not letting ourselves automatically be pulled into negative thinking or catastrophizing.

I hope this helps brogis and I strongly recommend you give one or some of these exercises a try. Even if you don't suffer anxiety, mindfulness is great for bringing you into the "now", connecting you more to what is going on around you and making life just that little bit more vivid and sweeter. And who doesn't want that! :)

Links for you to enjoy below.. and with that I bid you... bromaste!

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Six minute guided MM here.

Seven minute stress relief MM here.

Fifteen minute guided meditation focusing on the breath here.

Fifteen minute MM Body Scan here.

Great video using MM to overcome anxiety and panic attacks during exams (love the ginger fellow) here. Recommends meditating on a sultana! Try it :)

Jon Kabat Zinn, is a professor and scientist who founded the Centre for Mindfulness at UMass. He has some excellent resources available on CD and audiobook

Mindfulness Meditation and Anxiety

As promised in my previous post on Yoga and Anxiety, I have a few more tools for you to put in your anxiety fighting tool-box! The one I want to focus on in this post is Mindfulness Meditation (MM). This is a specific form of meditation which is gaining popularity as a treatment for those suffering from a variety of anxiety disorders.

This study conducted by Stanford University on the effects of Mindfulness Based Stress reduction on patients with Social Anxiety Disorder found that after two months participants were less anxious and thought of themselves more positively..."nine sessions of mindfulness mediation training made people with social anxiety disorders feel less anxious and less depressed, and improved their self views... Often people who have either depression or anxiety have a poor or negative self view... [MM] taught them to focus on things other than their personal criticisms"...

Dr Bruno A Cayoun, of the University of Tasmania, uses MM combined with more traditional methods of therapy. He found MM ..."produces neuroplasticity, which is the ability of the brain to rewire itself... As the pathways to self-awareness and acceptance in the frontal and other regions of the brain become more connected, self control in the face of problems such as anxiety, depression and traumatic symptoms is made easier"... Pretty cool, huh!

(Read the full article with case study here)

So now I've talked it up I'm sure you are desperate to know... What exactly is Mindfulness Mediation??!

MM is a form of meditation that involves focusing the mind entirely in the present.It means paying attention "on purpose", focusing on what is happening in this moment, not what has happened in the past or what may (or may not!) happen in the future. It is observing the thoughts that come into your mind without becoming attached to them, regarding them as you would clouds passing through the blue sky of your mind.

..."Mindfulness is a state in which you focus on the present: the sounds in the the trees, the softness of your cushions and the feelings in your body"... (More here)

In this kind of meditation, judgement is suspended. If a thought comes to mind we do not judge whether it is 'good' (and get excited) or 'bad' (and get depressed) - we remain neutral rather than following the thought towards worrying, excitement, analysing or indeed any kind of reaction. Instead we observe and acknowledge that the thought has arisen; and then consciously return our mind back to the present moment.If it helps you can tell the thought you have plenty of time to think about it later (here I go telling you to talk to yourself again brogis!)

Here is a basic script you can follow to get a feeling for MM. I will also include several links in the next post to meditations you can play on youtube if you find it difficult to stay focused without a guide.

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1. Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff.

2. Try to put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present.

3. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different.

4. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor.

[Ed note: remember the clouds brogis!]

5. If you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself if this happens.

6. As the time comes to a close, sit for a minute or two, becoming aware of where you are. Get up gradually.

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From the article "Overcoming Anxiety with Mindfulness Therapy" here.

More in the next post... Until then bromaste!