This paper is about my experiences with mindfulness based meditation and the scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is described as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). In my experience with mindfulness based meditation, I established a connection between my mental state and my body as well as assessed my thoughts in a non-judgmental approach.
Upon reflecting on my meditation experience, I realized that initially I had a deviated focus and would often experience wayward thoughts during sessions. Instead of focusing my attention on the emotions and sensations upon each out-breath, my attention was frequently dedicated to other external thoughts. For instance, during my first meditation session I had an extremely fragmented awareness and I quickly became distracted by assorted thoughts. I recognized that a considerable portion of my thoughts conceived through ‘mind wandering’, a phenomenon that has been identified through scientific research. A shift in attention from the present environment to a random private thought, referred to as ‘mind wandering’, contrasts greatly from mindfulness meditation (Carlstedt, 2010). As per a scientific paper by Hasenkamp et al, (2012) mind wandering is regarded as a major contributor to conscious experience. Before classroom meditation, I too experienced mind wandering during cognitive activities. Because the mind is perceptive to internal thoughts during mind wandering, the integration of incoming information from the external environment is hindered (Smallwood et al., 2007). Thus, the overall quality of the task performance is reduced. For instance, the occurrence of mind wan...
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Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
For thousands of years people have practiced mediation for spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Albeit there are many mediation types, in this paper I will be discussing and focusing on mindfulness mediation. Before further exploring mindfulness mediation, it is crucial to define mediation as a whole. Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016 state “Meditation can be defined as a form of mental training that aims to improve an individual’s core psychological capacities, such as attentional and emotional capacities” (p.213). Having that in mind, we can dive into mindfulness mediation. Mindfulness meditation is defined as “nonjudgmental attention to present-moment experiences (Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016).” A useful analogy to consider is going to the gym, going to the gym allows one to enhance the body, well similarly, practicing mindfulness is akin to taking the mind to the psychic gym, it enhances it. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on your breathing and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present all while dismissing discursive thoughts and maintaining a special focus on breathing.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author
05 May 2014. Barbor, Cary. " The Science of Meditation.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
The first grant proposal addressed the effects of meditation on life-span cognitional developmental processes. From my understanding, there is a strong connection to the mindset and self-awareness, as one chooses to mediate for their own reason. Based on the informed information, meditation is used to decrease stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The provided background information and predicted research study will help determine the pros and cons of the process, using the meditation techniques.
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Using the open monitoring concept of meditation, I become disconnected from my feelings and thoughts. This is a process of expanding attention and growing detached from the ongoing experience (author, pg 212). Meditation allows me to reduce rumination and guide my thoughts towards a more positive direction. The process enables me to evaluate the thoughts and understand that some are insignificant, which means there is no reason to obsess over them. I wake up and spend twenty minutes meditating, and this allows me to disconnect my negative thoughts and will enable me to focus on an upcoming day. If my thoughts are still prevalent, then I can not concentrate on what is being taught or said to me because I am in a spiral of negative what-ifs. Studies show that physical relaxation occurs during meditative periods. Oxygen consumption, heart rate, and carbon dioxide elimination all decrease in response to meditation (author, pg 212). Meditation allows an individual to block distraction and improve cognitive processes (Tsuji, 2017, 47). All these factors contribute to lowering stress levels in my body and allowing me to stay calm and concentrated on the right things instead of panicking. Overall, after beginning to meditate, I know how to detach myself from dark thoughts and gain more control over my
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2010). Health info. Meditation: An introduction. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm
At the beginning of my mindfulness journey, I felt frustrated as I began to realize how much I struggled with being in the present. I could not focus and I struggled to make it five minutes of practice. In the first two weeks, mindfulness felt like a chore. As I sat down to practice I would feel defeated each time. I did not really understand the point of mindfulness as focusing on breathing felt meaningless to me. My mind would wander each time I tried to focus on breathing and I began to realize how hard it was to still and control my mind. I knew that I was supposed to feel more relaxed and connected with my mind and body, but after each practice I felt more frustrated with myself. In the beginning I began to realize