Mindfulness meditation is an intentional way of living in the present moment that involves noticing, watching, and being curious about what you are experiencing with acceptance and non-judgment of what’s happening. Mindfulness meditation expert Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “paying attention to something, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally”.
People become interested in mindfulness meditation for different reasons. Spiritually, mindfulness meditation is a pathway to realizing your true nature free from the suffering of the human condition, and living life from this place of realization known as enlightenment. From a health and wellness perspective it is used for relaxation and stress reduction. Relationally, it can expand intimacy for couples, and the bond two people share. Therapeutically, mindfulness meditation is empirically shown to be effective for treating mental, emotional, behavioral, and physical issues such as alleviating depression and anxiety, and managing physical pain to name a few.
Mindfulness meditation works therapeutically by developing and increasing awareness of the present moment, and making the unconscious conscious through developing and refining the art of concentration. Mindfulness meditation also reduces mental, emotional, physical, and behavioral reactivity through developing and strengthening the skills of acceptance and non-judgment. Resistance and judgment to what’s happening in the present moment inherently increase reactivity whereas acceptance and non-judgment inherently reduce reactivity. Mindfulness meditation also creates more space or pause in the present moment making room for greater control and choice in how you respond to what’s going on internally and externally. More space or pause slows things down, and provides you with the opportunity to intervene differently from your normal response pattern. Mindfulness meditation also changes your vantage point from a sense of being engulfed, overwhelmed, and swept away by what’s unfolding in the present moment to a position of healthy distance and detachment where you can “sit with” and notice, watch, and be curious about what you are experiencing.
Ultimately, with enough mindfulness meditation practice you can begin to rewire your brain and nervous system, and change yourself and your life. Benefits of mindfulness meditation abound including enhanced clarity and peace of mind, resiliency, flexibility, a sense of ease, groundedness, centeredness, and the ability to operate from a place that’s more middle-of-the-road rather than a place of vacillation, ups and downs, and extremes. Through mindfulness meditation you learn that you might not be able to control what arises in the present moment internally and externally, but you can choose how you respond, interact with, and relate to the present moment of thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and the surrounding environment.
Whatever attracts you to mindfulness meditation we can incorporate it into your sessions however you wish, be it for the pursuit of self-realization, relaxation and stress reduction, expanding intimacy and bonded-ness, or for mental, emotional, and behavioral issues and concerns.