What is Mindfulness? According to google mindfilness is: • mīn(d)f(ə)lnəs / noun: mindfulness 1 . the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. • "their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition" 2 . a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally .” Jon Kabat Zinn
Jon Kabat Zinn • Graduated from Haverford College • Ph.D. in molecular biology in 1971 from MIT, where he studied under Salvador Luria, Nobel Laureate in medicine. He is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In 1979 he founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he developed the structured eight-week course Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). He subsequently also founded the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His secular technique, which combines meditation and Hatha yoga, has since spread worldwide. The course claims to help patients cope with stress, pain, and illness by using what is called "moment-to- moment awareness.
The Huffington Post declared 2014 the Year of Mindfulness. Who practices mindfulness?
Corporate World
Sports World
Media http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mindfulness-anderson-cooper-60- minutes/
Medicine
Canadian Students Provinces in red indicate mindfulness in schools is occurring.
Even Politicians!!
Research
Just Breath Mindful Schools Dr. Daniel Siegel presenting a Hand Model of the Brain
Proven benefits of a mindfulness practice include: • Mindfulness improves well being • Increasing your capacity for mindfulness supports many attitudes that contribute to a satisfied life • Being mindful makes it easier to savor the pleasures in life as they occur, helps you become fully engaged in activities, and creates a greater capacity to deal with adverse events. • By focusing on the here and now, many people who practice mindfulness find that they are less likely to get caught up in worries about the future or regrets over the past, are less preoccupied with concerns about success and self-esteem, and are better able to form deep connections with others.
Mindfulness improves physical health If greater well- being isn’t enough of an incentive, scientists have discovered the benefits of mindfulness techniques help improve physical health in a number of ways. Mindfulness can: • help relieve stress • treat heart disease • lower blood pressure • improve sleep • reduce chronic pain • alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties
Mindfulness improves mental health In recent years, psychotherapists have turned to mindfulness meditation as an important element in the treatment of a number of problems, including: • depression • substance abuse • eating disorders • couples’ conflicts • anxiety disorders • obsessive-compulsive disorder Some experts believe that mindfulness works, in part, by helping people to accept their experiences — including painful emotions — rather than react to them with aversion and avoidance.
Mental Health of Young Canadians • It is estimated that 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder – the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide. • Today, approximately 5% of male youth and 12% of female youth, age 12 to 19, have experienced a major depressive episode. • The total number of 12-19 year olds in Canada at risk for developing depression is a staggering 3.2 million. • Mental illness is increasingly threatening the lives of our children; with Canada’s youth suicide rate the third highest in the industrialized world. • Suicide is among the leading causes of death in 15-24 year old Canadians, second only to accidents; 4,000 people die prematurely each year by suicide. • Surpassed only by injuries, mental disorders in youth are ranked as the second highest hospital care expenditure in Canada. • In Canada, only 1 out of 5 children who need mental health services receives them. http://www.cmha.ca/media/fast-facts-about-mental-illness/#.VMkFcPlSiAg
* In 2011, Harvard neuropsychologist Britta Holzel and her colleagues found that a standard 8-week MBSR course resulted in significant increases in gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, and perspective taking. ∗ In 2009, Gina Biegel and colleagues assessed the effect of MBSR on adolescents (ages 14-18) with various DSM diagnoses in an outpatient psychiatric facility. Patients receiving MBSR showed reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatic distress, and increased self-esteem and sleep quality. 80% of DSM diagnoses were reversed!
Once depression is recognized, help can make a difference for 80% of people who are affected, allowing them to get back to their regular activities.
How can we practice mindfulness? There is more than one way to practice mindfulness, but the goal of any mindfulness technique is to achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment. This allows the mind to refocus on the present moment.
Sitting Sit Sitting ing in a in a ch chair, ir, feet t firm irmly ly ro rooted d on the he gr ground, d, spin ine tall, ha hands ds re rest stin ing g on le legs gs, , or r on the he belly y ack cknow nowledging ledging our r bre reat ath, h, wit with e h eye yes s cl closed ed or r ga gazin ing g do down wnwa wards. rds. Sit Sittin ing g cr cross s legg gged ed, , spin ine tall, , ha hands ds re restin ing g on le legs gs, , or r on the he belly ly ack cknowled wledging ging our r bre reath ath, , wit with h eye yes s cl closed ed or r ga gazing ing do down wnwa wards. rds.
Sit quietly and focus on your natural breathing Allow B thoughts to come and go without judgment and return to your focus on breath. r e a t h
Body Sensations Notice subtle body sensations such as an itch or tingling without judgment and let them pass. Notice each part of your body in succession from head to toe.
Sensory Notic ice e sig ight hts, s, soun unds, s, smells, lls, tastes, es, and touches. Name them “sight,” “sound,” “smell,” “ taste,” or “touch” without judgment and let the hem go go.
E m Allow emotions to be present without judgment. o Practice a steady and relaxed naming of emotions: t “joy,” “anger,” “frustration.” i Accept the presence of the emotions without judgment and let them go. o n s
Curb Cravings Cope pe wit ith h cravin vings gs (f (for addic ictive tive sub ubstances ances or be beha havio viors) rs) and all llow w the hem to pas pass. . Notic ice e ho how your ur bo body fee eels ls as as the he cravin aving g en enter ers. . Rep epla lace ce the he wis ish h for the he craving ving to go go aw away wit ith h the he certain ain knowledge ledge tha hat it it wil ill l sub ubside. ide.
Mindfulness Programs in Education http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/mindfulness-part-of-the-curriculum-at- grandview-heights-school-1.2804266 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/breathe-in-breathe- out-a-way-to-conquer-students-stress/article9156091/ http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/popupaudio.html?clipIds=2555034831 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAo_ZSmjLJ4 http://news.ubc.ca/2015/01/26/mindfulness-based-programs-in-schools-making-a- positive-impact-ubc-study/
Hi Jennifer Ann, I have a quick little story to share with you. It was timely as it happened later in the evening after I signed the consent form regarding your presentation of yoga and mindfulness in kids. When I was lying down with Ethan at bedtime, he was a little fidgety. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lying still, first with his hands on his chest and stomach, then by his side I think. Legs wide. A second later he told me, "I know what to do to settle down. We learned about it in school. It's savasana. Mrs. Mac taught us. Could you please scooch over a little?" It was pretty adorable. (And it worked!) Cheers, Laura
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