What is mindfulness meditation?
Mindfulness meditation is a combination of practices and techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity and calm understanding. The goal is to cultivate awareness of the present moment. Meditation has many benefits including increasing mind-body awareness, promoting relaxation, boosting focus and clarity, and most importantly, identifying and reducing the stress caused by our own minds.
Getting started in using mindfulness meditation
One of the best things about meditation is that it doesn’t require any equipment or a gym membership — just you. You can meditate standing up, sitting down or lying down. Just pick a spot where you can be both alert and relaxed, and begin.
There are many types of meditation practices. Mindfulness and meditation has been reported to help people develop an even minded mental state toward all experiences (pleasant, unpleasant and neutral). National Institutes of Health (NIH) Studies suggest that mindfulness practices may help people manage stress, cope better with serious illness and reduce anxiety and depression.
Here are 3 types of meditation:
- Metta meditation to help cultivate compassion as well as transform and promote a positive shift in your perception of the world.
- Formal sitting practice guidelines use 15 minutes per session, once or twice per day, to become more aware of thoughts, emotions and sensations
- Informal “STOP” practice designed to help in stressful situations and encourage less reactive decision-making.
Access our library of meditation videos and download our brochures to learn more about how you can add mindfulness meditation to your day.