World Meditation Day
By Amanda Cammalleri
May 21, 2023 is World Meditation Day. Meditation is a form of mental training with the objective of improving one’s core psychological states, such as emotion regulation and attention (Tang et al., 2015). Mindfulness is a form of meditation, which has been defined as “non-judgmental attention to experiences in the present moment” (Tang et al., 2015) and “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4). Basically, by paying extra attention to all of the aspects of the moment we are in now, and learning to accept them as they are, we can change our psychological states.
While research still needs to be done in the field, some benefits of mindfulness and meditation that have been found include the following:
Improvements in stress levels
Decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety
Improvements in reported sleep quality
Decreases in specific markers of inflammation
Improvements in reported quality of life
The great news is that you do not need to sit in silent meditation daily to still see some of these benefits. You can incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life by taking moments throughout the day to pay attention to the senses that are available to you. Some examples of this include:
Noticing soap suds as you wash your dishes, observing the bubbles in the suds and the feeling of soapy water.
Noticing the feeling of brushing your teeth; the flavor of the toothpaste, the feeling of the bristles, the procedure you usually do automatically.
Paying extra attention to the food you eat in your meal; observing it visually first, maybe even smell it, then noting how it feels in your mouth, slowing down the process and noting the flavors before and after each bite.
Going for a walk or looking out a window; paying attention to nature, how the sun hits the leaves on trees and shadows created, feeling the breeze on your skin and noticing the smell of the air.
You can also learn more mindfulness tools, techniques and meditations to do on your own, by joining our Brain Wellness Program Mindfulness class on Tuesday evenings!
References:
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion.
Tang, Y.-Y. (2017). Physiology mechanisms of mindfulness meditation. The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation, 23–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46322-3_3
