Mindfulness Meditation to Focus Your Mind on the Present.

Mindfulness meditation, also called vipassana meditation and insight meditation, focuses your mind on the present.

Every day we are observe the passing parade of thoughts, feelings and other stimuli that we take into our conscious and unconscious awareness. But often we attach meaning and judge these thoughts.

To be mindful is to be aware and to observe your stream of thoughts, without becoming attached or judging these thoughts.

Research shows that meditation improves mood and reduces stress.

Mindful Meditation

1. Sit in a comfortable position or lie on the floor in a quite place.
2. Close your eyes and relax all of your muscles.
3. Breathe through in through your nose and notice your belly expand as you breath in and feel the sensation as you breathe out. Pay attention to the way that your breath changes.
4. Stay in the present. Watching your thoughts come and go. Don't ignore your thoughts, simply note them, remaining detached and calm. Keep using your breathing as your anchor.
5. You may find that you get attached to a thought and get carried away with it. Observe where you mind went off to, and without judging yourself or your thought, return to your breathing.
6. As you approach the end of your session, sit for a moment or two and become of where you are. Get up gradually.

Adapted from:Kabat-Zinn J. Mindful Meditation: Health benefits of an ancient Buddhist practice. Mind/Body Medicine, eds. Goleman D, Gurin J. New York 1993. Consumer Reports Books, 259-275.



Click here to return from mindfulness meditation to meditation techniques to reduce stress

Click here to return to the stress management homepage