HEALTH AND WELLBEING.

On Mindfulness and Meditation. 

“I would rather shape my soul than furnish it”- Michel de Montaigne

Cultivating a practice that supports the landscapes of our minds, can have benefits that reach beyond into body and between into our relationships. Mediation has long been practiced in various eastern traditions as a way of developing different qualities intended to alter or enhance ones state of mind. In some traditions and peoples it is a path through which to access spirituality. Meditation is an umbrella term under which many approaches and practices emerge, that can orientate one towards non judgment, peace and compassion, supporting many physiological functions in the process including nurturing body regulation, supporting emotional balance, soothing stress, fostering empathy and reducing fear and reactivity. (Siegel 2009).

As eastern philosophy has increasingly merged with western modern adaptations have arisen such as mindfulness, defined by John Kabat Zinn, a emeritus professor of medicine who has contributed significantly to research in the field mindful based medicine as “the awareness that arises through paying attention in the present moment, non-judgmentally to the unfolding experience.” Mindful being exists not as concrete practice but a state of mind, thus it is a way to apply a way of thinking or consciousness to the activities of daily life.

Meditation and mindfulness can be distuinguished from activities that are mediative, soothing, calming, yet all may share a common thread to allow us to broaden ourselves beyond the weight of the mind and the constricting repeating patterns of thought.

References and Further Reading.

Siegel D, 2009, ‘Mindful Awareness, Mindsight, and Neural Integration’, The Humanistic Psychologist, 37: 137–158, cited online Sept 22,. https://www.openground.com.au/assets/Documents-Openground/Articles/e11efea8b2/Mindful-Awareness-Siegel.pdf

Siegel D, Drulis D, 2023, An interpersonal neurobiology perspective on the mind and mental health: personal, public, and planetary well-being, Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2023; 22: 5. Published online 2023 Feb 3. doi: 10.1186/s12991-023-00434-5. Accessed online 7th June 2024, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9897608/