"Fully aware of present experience - with acceptance" - Mindfulness definition
In recent months we've introduced mindfulness meditation into our Outpatient Treatment program.
Each group features a segment of mindfulness meditation. And it's well-received.
In time it will also be in the halfway house program. Hopefully by year's end.
So how does mindfulness help? In many ways. It lowers stress, blood pressure, drug relapse and more. It has a positive effect on many aspects of our lives. Both physical and emotional - if we can separate the two.
There are literally hundreds of studies about it.
Jon Kabat Zinn, of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, has been studying it for over 30 years. And UMass is the home of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
Is it difficult? No. All we do for formal meditation is to find a comfortable seat. Either cross-legged on the floor or seated in a chair.
Next, we focus on our breath as it enters and leaves the body. This is difficult to do for long. Thoughts enter our mind. We acknowledge them without judgement - then return to the breath. More thoughts enter. We acknowledge them. Then go back to the breath.
It can be frustrating because most of us can't focus for long. But, as I've learned, we don't get graded on how we meditate. Any meditation is good.
We just need to set aside 15-20 minutes twice a day to reap the benefits.
A great free resource with downloadable meditations is mindfulness-solution.com.
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