Mindful Mondays Presents: Mindful Meditation

How many of you have heard of mindfulness and meditation and thought- hmmm I know it's supposed to be good for you, but it seems like a lot of work OR I just don't have the time, OR it doesn't really seem like something I can get into.

Well we've been there too. I (Brittany) first came across mediation when I began teaching anger management at a previous workplace. It was a recommended self care strategy and I remember thinking "there is no way I could just sit still for 30 minutes. Nope, not for me." 

But what I didn't know, is that there is so much more to it and that's what this post is here for. To show you what meditation, specifically mindfulness meditation, is and if it is something you could try to add in your own routine.

What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of what we are doing and where we are, and not becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us. Whenever you bring awareness to what you are directly experiencing in a moment via your senses or your state of mind- you are engaging in mindfulness. Mindfulness has been shown to be such a powerful tool, that research even suggests that when you train your brain to be mindful, you are actually remodeling the physical structure of your brain!

What is mediation? 
Meditation is described as exploration. A misconception is that you just empty your thoughts. But what mediation is really aimed at is to create a special place where each and every moment is momentous. Meditation means venturing into your sensations, emotions and thoughts. There is more than one type of meditation out there. According to my research thus far, there are 23 different types! Some are below:

General Mediation:

• Focused Attention
• Open Monitoring
• Effortless Presence

Buddist Meditation

• Zen (Zazen)
• Vipassana 
• Mindfulness
• Loving Kindness (Metta)

Hindu Meditation

• Mantra (OM)
• Transcendental
• Yoga
• Self-Enquiry and "I AM"

Chinese Meditation

• Taoist
• Qigong (Chi kung)

Sufi Mediation

Christian Mediation 

Guided Meditation

• Guided imagery
• Relaxation & body scans
• Affirmations 
• Binaural Beats

What is Mindfulness Mediation?
It is a mental training practice that involves focusing your mind on your experiences in the present moment. So basically just paying attention to whatever you are experiencing as you experience it. It can involve breathing practice, mental imagery, awareness of the body and mind, and muscle/body relaxation.

What are the benefits?
Now we don't just go around preaching to try things out because it's the cool thing to do right now. Brittany likes to make sure that anything she recommends has research backing up it's usefulness, or to her- it's just a fad. And guess what? There is research supporting the use of mindfulness meditation! Some include:

• Mindfulness reduces anxiety: a study done in 2013 revealed that patients who had a generalized anxiety disorder and who participated in an 8 week mindfulness based stress reduction program, had significantly greater reduction in anxiety compared to the controlled group and the group that recieved an 8 week stress management education. 
• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may prevent and help treat depression: an 8 week group for people suffering with depression was found to help them recognize what was happening, engage with it in a different way, and respond to it with compassion. A study looking at MBCT found that it helped prevent depression recurrence as effectively as maintenance antidepressant medications did. 
• Increases body satisfaction: many women (and men) struggle to truly love the bodies they are in. Study's show that women who engaged in a meditation intervention experienced significantly lower rates of body dissatisfaction, body shame, and greater gains in self-compassion and self-appreciation. 
• Mindfulness improves cognition: Brief mindfulness training has been shown to significantly improve visuo-spatial processing, working memory, and executive functioning. In a specific study, they found that although both the mindfulness mediation group and the control group showed an improved mood, only the mindfulness meditation group reduced fatigue and anxiety. 
• It helps you sleep better: People who engaged in mindfulness described better control of their emotions and behaviours during the day. As a result they had lower activation at bedtime, which could have benefits of a better sleep quality and future ability to manage stress. 

How to
There are so many ways to practice mindfulness meditation, and alas this is out of my area of comfort. So rather than tell you as if I knew what I was talking about, I have posted some links below that give you a step by step guide (one even break it down for parents, the workplace, for kids, for anxiety, for depression, etc.). In addition, during Wellness Wednesday I will post some awesome videos & a beginners guide to mindfulness and Tip Talk Thursday will have your information on quick and easy ways to start using mindfulness in your day as well as community programs available!

Mindful.org- How To
Very Well Mind- How to
Develop Good Habits-How to (Has the different sections)

Resources
https://www.mindful.org
https://www.forbes.com
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca