What are the benefits of mindfulness?
Participants of an 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course reported the following benefits:
- A reduction in participants’ levels of stress
- Lower levels of psychological distress, including depression and anxiety
- An increase in their levels of emotional intelligence
- Increased interpersonal sensitivity
- Higher levels of personal resilience
- Increased self-awareness and awareness of others
- Enhanced communication skills
- Increased concentration and attention span
- Lower levels of impulsivity
- A greater capacity to hold and manipulate information
- Improved sleeping patterns
- Higher levels of well-being and overall work and life satisfaction
Mindfulness meditation can be viewed as a skill to learn, but it is important to understand that the difference is, the invitation is to practice and explore non-judgement (or criticism) of ourselves. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of practicing and all our experiences within a meditation practice are valid and worthy of noticing and reflecting on. Part of this process is to recognise the experiences we view as ‘pleasant’ ‘unpleasant’ and ‘neutral, without the need to cling onto or push away. This is why it can useful and worthwhile learning with a mindfulness teacher, to reflect on the experiences you have and what you notice within each practice.