MORE ABOUT MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness offers a way of tuning into 'now'. This doesn't mean shutting things out but re-connecting with how we are and what's happening around us. It might be a pleasant or unpleasant experience but by tuning into what is happening, we can see it more clearly.

You could try a short mindfulness practice right now to get a taste of it.

If you wanted, you could tune into what it's like to be reading these web pages. This might mean noticing:

How are you sitting? How do your back, shoulders, your head and face feel?
What's it like for your eyes to travel backwards and forwards, and around the screen? How do your eyes feel right now?
How is it to take an in-breath... and then breathe out again?
Can you feel anything in your feet? Are there any sensations as they contact the floor/support beneath them?

The founders of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) say mindfulness is:
"the awareness that emerges from
paying attention in a particular way
on purpose,
in the present moment,
non judgementally
to things as they are." (1)

'Paying attention' to what is going on right here - as you perhaps start to let your breathing / physical feelings
be just as they are, whatever they are - is the start of mindfulness training.

MINDFULNESS COURSES

Mindfulness courses use a mix of awareness and movement practices to train our attention. Courses include some teaching on the
psychology of how we react to difficult (stressful) experiences in the body and mind, and are designed to help people do different types of practice at home in between weekly sessions.

The courses are usually delivered in groups (though can be 1-2-1) as learning from others who are also training their attention, learning about stress reactivity, and tuning in to new experiences can often be one of the best ways to learn.
While joining a new group can be daunting for some of us, often people say that connecting with others in the mindfulness group is an encouraging and supportive part of the course. In-person and online groups are normally limited to 12 people per course.

THE BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS

Research into the benefits and effects of mindfulness is still in an early stage.
It's best to be cautious around claims that mindfulness can solve everything for everyone - it's not a magic bullet.
Yet every month there are more studies that show that mindfulness courses have had a statistically signficant effect on:

- reducing negative mood and feelings such as depression, distress and anxiety. In particular studies have shown a large reduction in stress reported by participants (2)

- a feeling of improved quality of life and well-being (2)

If you're interested in the brain, then some studies show that mindfulness training improves our neurological functioning too. Using fMRI scanners, some studies show that mindfulness courses can significantly enhance the 'grey matter density' in parts of the brain. The hippocampus is one area where this happens, and it is crucial for learning, memory and in particular, regulating our emotions. 'Grey matter density' also increases in the posterior cingulate cortex after a mindfulness course, which is involved in paying attention and putting stressful experiences into perspective (3). Increases in grey matter density in these two areas are associated with increases in well-being.

(1) William et al. (2007) The Mindful Way through Depression
(2) Khoury et al (2015) Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis

(3) Hölzel, B. et al (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density