Mindfulness

Mindfulness

We have all felt the unprecedented impact of the events of the last two years. With prolonged exposure to uncertainty, isolation and in some instances grief, many of us are experiencing frustration, racing thoughts, overwhelm, stress, anxiety and even depression.

While these thoughts, feelings and reactions are all normal in the face of significant challenge, they can have adverse effects on our physical, emotional and mental well-being.

So, how do we reduce stress and remain calm so that we can take effective action during times of overwhelm?

In recent years, mindfulness has become known as a popular strategy to help manage stress and improve overall well-being. 

What is mindfulness meditation?

Mindfulness meditation can be defined in many ways but a simple way to think of it is training your attention to achieve a mental state of calm concentration and positive emotions.

It typically involves turning your attention to your breath, your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body, and the feelings you are experiencing. It involves observing your thoughts and feelings without judgement and instead of responding or reacting to them, you aim to note them and let them go.

Does mindfulness reduce stress and anxiety?

There is a growing body of research that indicates that mindfulness meditation reduces stress and anxiety, improves attention and memory, and promotes self-regulation and empathy.

Brain imaging techniques have also shown that it changes our brain and biology in positive ways. It decreases the activity in parts of our brain responsible for fight or flight and knee jerk reactions, while increasing activity in the part of the brain responsible for our executive functioning - the control centre for our thoughts, words and actions.

The benefits of mindfulness meditation are related to its ability to dial down the body’s response to stress and can profoundly and permanently change the way we think. It’s essentially like a fitness routine for your brain, keeping it healthy.

How do I learn more?

Our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course will provide you with the tools to put all these concepts into practice, through breathing exercises and guided lessons to help you become aware of your body sensations, thoughts and feelings.

If you would like to become more focussed and present, reduce reactivity, and develop clarity so that your actions can be more beneficial to yourself and others, enrol now.