Mindfulness-Based Habit Change is a six-week, 90-minute Zoom course that combines mindfulness practices with the neuroscience behind how habits are formed and how to change the unwanted ones. Registration is…
These investigators studied the effect of short, practical meditation practices on emotion and cognitive functioning in meditation-naive participants. They randomized subjects (aged 18-45) who were non-experienced meditators to either 13-minute…
Summer is here, which can often be a good time to practice mindfulness. There may be more time to practice formally by meditating regularly. With meditation practice we often say that more is better, and it is also important to remember that any practice is better than none. This can apply to even a few minutes a day, perhaps pausing before getting out of bed in the morning to do a short body scan or attention-focused meditation, noticing breathing, sounds or other sensations arising from the body. If more time is available, there is good evidence that meditating for 15 minutes a day can have positive effects on stress and emotion regulation. The evidence for benefits increases further with longer periods of meditation. In addition to practicing formal meditation, summer offers many opportunities to practice mindfulness in everyday life. Many people take vacations during the summer and, if so, we may notice the anticipation that arises when thinking about returning to a favorite location, or traveling to a new destination. Some of the anticipation may be positive, related to old memories or excitement about going somewhere new.
Mindfulness-Based Habit Change Class to be Offered this Fall Mindfulness-Based Habit Change is a six-week, 90-minute Zoom course that combines mindfulness practices with the neuroscience behind how habits are formed and…
Efficacy of a Mindfulness and Compassion-Based Intervention in Psychotherapists Mindfulness and compassion-based interventions (MCBI) have been shown to positively influence psychotherapy skills and have the potential to improve therapists’ relationships…
When we practice attention-focused meditation, we choose an object to focus on, like the breath, and place our attention there. We may follow a few breaths, then the attention wanders, often to thoughts and we get caught up in thinking. Eventually we will notice the thinking, and we can choose to return the attention back to focusing on breathing again. We do this over and over again. With time, the period of time between thoughts might begin to increase, and we become aware of awareness, of paying attention without thoughts arising. In this space without thoughts, we can just be aware of our present moment experience. At first we may only be aware of wherever we have chosen to place our attention, perhaps noticing the sensations of breathing or the points of contact from sitting. We can also pay attention to the mind, noticing the absence of thoughts. How is this absence of thought experienced? With no thoughts there is no judging, no worrying, no wanting things to be different than they are. There are no thoughts of the future or of the past, there is only the present moment. In the space between thoughts, everything is just as it is.
