(Jan and I just came back from a meditation retreat. On the retreat, someone we met asked for some links to websites that would provide information on scientific research on the benefits of mindfulness practice. I suppose, being on a retreat with a (relatively) clear mind, something was sparked in me and I ended up writing the following in about 20 minutes. I thought it might be fun to post, so……)<\/p>\n
just posted this and see the links don’t show up – if you go to Michael Taft’s site, you can find all the links. Please note that all of this is aimed at someone not consciously involved in doing yoga – in fact, skeptical of it)<\/p>\n
MINDFULNESS RESEARCH AND INFO <\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve included a number of links at the end to articles providing information about the physiological and psychological benefits of meditation. <\/p>\n To help put them all in context, I\u2019m providing a \u201cnaturalist\u201d explanation of what mindfulness is. In scientific research, \u201cmethodological naturalism\u201d involves refraining from accepting any supernatural, magical, or non-physical means of explanation. <\/p>\n So here is a brief description of what mindfulness is, how it works and what its effects are in purely naturalistic language.<\/p>\n Put very simply, mindfulness involves training attention and awareness to free our consciousness from the constraints of our evolutionary conditioning in order to experience a unified state of consciousness. <\/p>\n Let me provide a bit more detail to help you understand what I mean by \u201cattention,\u201d \u201cawareness\u201d and a \u201cunified state of consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n Selective Attention and Peripheral Awareness<\/strong><\/p>\n In every moment we are awake, there are two basic aspects of our consciousness which are functioning. Say you\u2019ve gone out to eat, and you\u2019re looking at the choices on the menu. Your capacity for \u201cselective attention\u201d allows you to tune out the sound of other people talking, the slight pain you may have in your hip or lower back or neck, the sights of the waiter walking by, the people at the next table, as well as the various thoughts and emotions that may be passing through your mind that are not related to your meal.<\/p>\n While you are focusing on the menu (unless you\u2019re an extremely advanced mindfulness practitioner!!) all of that \u2013 the sounds, sights, physical sensations, passing thoughts and emotions \u2013 are still present in your consciousness but they\u2019re on the periphery \u2013 they\u2019re in your \u201cperipheral awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n Something may arise on your periphery (the waitress drops a plate and spatters some tomato sauce on your new shirt, or on the bag holding a vitally important flash drive) and even if you wanted to hold your attention on the menu, all kinds of emotions will rush up \u2013 annoyance, irritation, etc \u2013 to draw your attention away from the menu. Now, what was peripheral has become central!<\/p>\n For most of our lives, our attention is pulled this way and that \u2013 we want to be focusing on developing a new computer code, and any number of external (\u201cI just have to check my email for the 18th time) and internal (oh my god, did I remember to turn off the stove) distractions are fighting for our attention. <\/p>\n The primary source of these distractions is really not the external things or obvious internal stuff we pay attention to. There is always something going on \u201cunder the surface\u201d that has to do with ancient evolutionary programming, that is for most of us, much of the time, the real driver of our actions, emotions and thoughts. <\/p>\n Our Instinctive, Emotional and Mental Programming<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Our instinctive programming \u2013 exquisitely designed through the extraordinary evolutionary process of random genetic variation and natural selection \u2013 worked for several hundred million years in very simple circumstances to keep us safe, to motivate us to master our environment, and guided us through pleasure \u2013 what helped us survive \u2013 and pain \u2013 what is dangerous to our physical survival.<\/p>\n But that old programming is no match for the sophistication of 21st century marketers. High class scientists are paid huge sums to study our instinctive programming and come up with just the right combination of salt, sugar and fat to override the evolutionary mechanisms that are supposed to protect us, leading us to eat what makes us sick rather than what makes us healthy.<\/p>\n Our emotional programming \u2013 particularly that which developed around 250 million years ago \u2013 emerged because mammals evolved who found greater survival benefits in forming strong bonds, and tight social groupings.<\/p>\n This emotional programming is at the root of the profound bonds of love and caring in human beings. But because of our complex society and the complex mind and self-identify we have developed, the programming is twisted and used to exploit, manipulate, control the people we perceive to be important to us, develop over-dependence, and all kinds of other problematic relationships.<\/p>\n Our mental programming \u2013 particularly that which emerged in early primates as well as in homo sapiens between 250000 and 50,000 years ago, leading to the prefrontal cortex, the most highly evolved part of our brain \u2013 has been immensely important to our survival and the development of civilization. It allows us to create a kind of simple heuristic, a shortcut, a complex web of stories, narratives, worldviews, etc which give us tremendous power in terms of navigating our world, and is largely responsible for the fantastic developments in science that have come about in recent centuries. <\/p>\n However, living in a world of stunning diversity, our \u201cstories\u201d and \u201cworldviews\u201d have developed enormous complexities, distortions, mistakes, and deviations which lead us to be in conflict, to hate people we have never met just because of our ideas about them, to have confused and conflicting ideas about ourselves, what we are capable of, what we cannot do, etc.<\/p>\n Mindfulness, selective attention and peripheral awareness<\/strong><\/p>\n Over the last several thousand years, meditation practitioners in virtually every culture the world over have experimented \u2013 often for hours a day, over the course of decades of their lives \u2013 and made the amazing discovery that cultivating the abilities of our most highly evolved brain structure, the prefrontal cortex (PFC for short) has the capacity of \u201cdeconditioning\u201d our ancient instinctive, emotional and mental programming, and reconditioning it in a way which makes it more harmonious with our complex 21st century society. <\/p>\n Mindfulness<\/strong><\/p>\n Selective attention helps us to hone in on an object of attention, noticing the fine details. It tends to interpret things in terms of what we know from the past, and generally works by \u201cserial\u201d or linear processing. If we over-focus with selective attention, we \u201csee the trees but miss the forest.\u201d This tends to make us tense and anxious, and can even bring about physiological problems. <\/p>\n Peripheral awareness helps us step back and see the larger picture, the \u201cforest\u201d within which the \u201ctrees\u201d exist. We are able to understand the context of things, and are open to the new and the unknown. Peripheral awareness appears to involve massive parallel processing, which brings together many disparate functions of the brain. <\/p>\n Mindfulness helps us know how to make best use of each. We can step back even further and get a sense for what each moment requires for us to act most effectively. By balancing selective attention (on the breath, for example) with peripheral awareness (gently aware of but not reacting to the arising of thoughts, emotions and sensations impelled by our ancient programming) we are able to recondition that programming, the brain becomes more coherent, and we begin to discover a more spontaneous way of acting, that emerges naturally and intuitively. <\/p>\n Those times when an athlete\u2019s hand just \u201cglides\u201d up to a basket, sinking the ball effortlessly, or when a scientist, pondering the solution of a problem in quantum physics, for decades, suddenly just \u201cknows\u201d the answer \u2013 it turns out this simple act of balancing selective attention and peripheral awareness leads to a state of harmony in the brain which allows such experiences of \u201cbeing in flow\u201d or \u201cin the zone\u201d to occur more often and more easily (this is why Phil Jackson decided to have all his basketball players learn mindfulness).<\/p>\n Unified Consciousness<\/strong><\/p>\n Ultimately, at the most advanced stages (but glimpsed by everyone in moments of deep peace, letting go of concerns and often in moments of great fear or overcoming some great challenge) there is the experience of what Jan and I like to call \u201copen heartful awareness. (some call it \u201cpure consciousness;\u201d others give it a religious name; it doesn\u2019t matter what words you use or what you believe about it; people have reported this experience for centuries as well as the extraordinary benefits it confers).<\/p>\n When the capacity to balance selective attention and peripheral awareness is so well developed that the two become perfectly integrated, one experiences oneself and the world as seamlessly connected and one\u2019s thoughts, actions, and words begin to emerge from that state of integration.<\/p>\n I say \u201cbegin\u201d to emerge because for most people, it is a lifelong process of developing that kind of integration. <\/p>\n THE BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE BRAIN THROUGH MINDFULNESS<\/strong><\/p>\n In 1999, I completed my doctoral research investigating the effects of mindfulness on physical pain. Since then, hundreds of subsequent research studies have been conducting reaffirming not only my work but many studies throughout the 1980s and 90s, showing that mindfulness practice can lead to a profound ability to reduce physical pain of all kinds. The effects are not only subjective, but show up in quantitative measurements of brain and nervous system functioning. <\/p>\n Mindfulness research in the last decades of the 20th century was often not of the highest quality. However, in the last 16 years, several thousand studies have been done at major research centers around the world, often of a quality equal to that of studies in most scientific fields.<\/p>\n Among psychological illnesses, mindfulness has been found to either reduce or eliminate symptoms in:<\/p>\n \u2022\tDepression In physiological conditions, mindfulness has been found particularly effective in reducing virtually all kinds of pain, including migraines, back pain, cancer-related pain, foot and knee pain, fibromyalgia, etc.<\/p>\n In various walks of life, mindfulness has been able to improve performance in a variety of sports, including basketball, golf and even among a number of Olympic activities. <\/p>\n There are now thousands of programs around the world employing mindfulness and mindfulness-related practices in schools from pre-Kindergarten to graduate school, and studies have shown repeated positive results in terms of improving test results, improving overall social-emotional skills, reducing bullying, and overall greater engagement and interest in learning. <\/p>\n Is Mindfulness a Panacea?<\/strong><\/p>\n Did you think I was going to say no, or fudge the answer a bit? In fact, a simple short answer is \u201cyes.\u201d It is compatible with virtually any kind of psychotherapy and all forms of education. It has been found to be helpful in every kind of workplace (improving productivity and collaboration and reducing absenteeism) and has even been used in governments to facilitate greater cooperation and understanding between competing or conflicting sides of an issue. <\/p>\n Over a century ago, William James said that a method for training attention would be the single most important feature of an excellent education. Near the beginning of the 20th century, he brought a Buddhist monk into his Harvard psychology class and told the students, \u201cThis man has what will be the foundation of education 25 years from now.\u201d It seems that Professor James was off by about 90 years, but his prophecy now appears to be coming true. <\/p>\n PRACTICE<\/strong><\/p>\n This is only the briefest of instructions. There\u2019s a lot that can be very helpful, such as information about preparation, timing, posture, etc.<\/p>\n But you can still do 10 minutes of simple breath awareness to get at least a glimpse of what was just written.<\/p>\n 1.\tSit with your neck and back aligned, upright and relaxed. That\u2019s it!<\/p>\n Just 9,999 more hours, and you\u2019ll be an expert. <\/p>\n (But don\u2019t do it with any goal in mind; just enjoy the feeling of sitting quietly, the pleasant sensation of the flow of breath, the delight of knowing you are on the way toward mastering one of the most important skills any human being can develop).<\/p>\n Here are some excellent links for scientific research regarding the benefits of mindfulness:<\/strong><\/p>\n From: \u201cThe Mindful Geek\u201d: https:\/\/themindfulgeek.com\/benefits-of-mindfulness\/<\/p>\n Feel Better, Be More Effective, Relax 1.\thttp:\/\/www.remember-to-breathe.org (Jan and I just came back from a meditation retreat. On the retreat, someone we met asked for some links to websites that would provide information on scientific research on the benefits of mindfulness practice. I suppose, being on a retreat with a (relatively) clear mind, something was sparked in me and I ended up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":848,"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846\/revisions\/848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ipi.org.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022\tAnxiety
\n\u2022\tBipolar disorder
\n\u2022\tEating disorders
\n\u2022\tPosttraumatic stress disorder
\n\u2022\tObsessive compulsive disorder
\n\u2022\tAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
\n\u2022\tBorderline and other personality disorders<\/p>\n
\n2.\tBring your attention to the feeling of the breath flowing in and out of your nose.
\n3.\tBefore focusing on the breath, take just a moment to reflect on your motivation.
\na.\tUnderstand that you are going to be practicing using a very gentle mode of selective attention on the feeling of the flow of breath, while allowing your peripheral awareness to take in but not get carried away by the various other aspects of your experience \u2013 sounds, body sensations, memories, desires, internal conversations \u2013 all will come and go, arising and passing away, and you don\u2019t have to anything about them. Simply let them be and let them pass away. Remember also that even in the first practice session, or soon thereafter, it is possible (though not guaranteed!) to have at least a glimpse of that state of greater, more harmonious, unified consciousness.
\nb.\tRecognize that this gentle act of balancing selective attention and peripheral awareness is not a skill you\u2019re developing in order to become a \u201cbetter meditator.\u201d It is something that will serve you at every moment of your waking life (and if you ever become interested in \u201clucid\u201d or conscious dreaming, at every moment of your dream life too!).
\nc.\tRecognize that if you decide to persist in this practice, you are likely to begin to experience glimpses of a calm, peaceful unified state of wide open awareness, in which your whole field of experience feels to you to be one, unified whole, in which you are more receptive to intuitive promptings (as a result of a highly coherent brain) which can provide guidance in whatever you wish to do, from cultivating vegetables to cultivating deeper relationships to increased productivity to gaining a deeper sense of life\u2019s meaningfulness and purposefulness.
\n4.\tVery gently bring your attention to the feeling of the flow of breath in and out of your nostrils.
\na.\tIf your mind is particularly distracted, you can use a word to help focus the mind \u2013 breathing \u201crelax\u2019 as you inhale, and \u201cpeace\u201d as you exhale, or any words of your own choosing.
\nb.\tIf you need a further aid to concentrate, you can count your cycle of breathing, counting \u201c1\u201d on the inhale, \u201c2\u201d on the exhale, up to \u201c10,\u201d then start over again.
\n5.\tAs your mind gets quieter, let go of the counting or words, and just \u201cbe\u201d with the breath. Before you finish your practice, try letting go of selective attention altogether and just rest, alert but relaxed, in that calm, quiet state of awareness. Be grateful for even the slightest measure of relaxation and calm that emerged.
\n6.\tConclude by thinking of people you care about, and extending good will to them, wishing for them also to experience whatever measure of calm and peace you have experienced. If you wish to spend a bit longer at this, you may imagine as many people as possible \u2013 even ones toward whom you feel neutral, or even ones toward whom you have negative feelings! \u2013 to share in this experience of calm, quiet peacefulness. <\/p>\n
\nMindfulness meditation revolves around paying attention to the present moment. Done properly over time, this simple practice can produce some dramatic results, including a surprising number of health benefits.
\nGet a free guided mindfulness meditation with Michael Taft and start your practice today.
\nUnder the guidance of a seasoned coach, and with a committed practice mindfulness meditation can:
\nImprove Your Focus \u2014 Focus is a trainable skill, and meditation systematically trains you to focus. What\u2019s more, your focus isn\u2019t just better when you\u2019re meditating, but all day long as you go about your business. Mindfulness\u2019s positive effect on concentration has been proven in this long-term study, and this study, and has even been shown to make a big difference in novice meditators after only ten days.
\nReduce Your Stress \u2014 We\u2019ve all heard that meditation can help you to relax and become less stressed out. It is a proven way to deeply relax. Science shows that it can even make very stressful situations easier to handle. It lowers your cortisol levels\u2014the hormone most responsible for stress. A 2010 meta-analysis of 39 studies found that mindfulness is a useful intervention for treating anxiety and mood disorders.
\nEnhance Your Empathy \u2014 Mindfulness will help you connect to other people. One mindfulness practice is called \u201cloving kindness\u201d meditation, in which you focus on feelings of love and compassion. Experiments show that over time this can dramatically boost your empathy (sense of emotional connection) with other people. Medical students under intense stress report higher levels of empathy when they meditate.
\nReduce Your Emotional Reactivity \u2014 How long does it take you to recover from an upsetting event? Mindfulness can reduce that time measurably, and get you back on your feet faster after emotional upheavals.
\nIncrease Your Cognitive Flexibility \u2014 Tired of being stuck in the same old rut? Mindfulness has been shown to increase \u201ccognitive flexibility,\u201d which means it allows you to see the world in a new way, and behave differently than you have in the past. It helps you to respond to negative or stressful situations more skillfully.
\nBoost Your Memory \u2014 How many facts you can hold in your head at once, what scientists call \u201cworking memory\u201d is a crucial aspect of effectiveness in learning, problem solving, and organization. A study of military personnel under stress showed that those who practiced mindfulness experienced a boost in working memory, as well as feeling better than those who didn\u2019t practice. Another study shows that it not only improves memory, but boosts test scores, too. Even practicing mindfulness for as short as 4 days may improve memory and other cognitive skills.
\nMake You Less Sensitive to Pain \u2014 Mindfulness meditation changes your physical brain structure in many ways; one is that it actually increases the thickness of your cortex, which reduces your sensitivity to pain.
\nGive You a Better Brain \u2014 Mindfulness trains the prefrontal lobe area of your brain (it actually gets bigger!), as well as enhancing other areas which give the benefits of an entire package of related functions such as self-insight, morality, intuition, and fear modulation.<\/p>\n
\n2.\thttp:\/\/www.apa.org\/monitor\/2012\/07-08\/ce-corner.aspx
\n3.\thttps:\/\/nau.edu\/research\/feature-stories\/mindfulness-training-has-positive-health-benefits\/
\n4.\thttp:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2013\/04\/08\/mindfulness-meditation-benefits-health_n_3016045.html
\n5.\thttp:\/\/www.mindful.org\/the-science-of-mindfulness\/
\n6.\thttps:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/blog\/compassion-matters\/201303\/benefits-mindfulness
\n7.\thttp:\/\/greatergood.berkeley.edu\/topic\/mindfulness\/definition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"