Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation, also known as insight meditation is a practice which starts by developing an ability to focus on the breath and the sensations associated with breathing. It quickly becomes apparent that maintaining a steady awareness on the breath for any length of time is difficult to do. Frequently our attention wanders away from the breath and moves to various thoughts, emotions or body sensations. So part of mindfulness practice is cultivating patience and generosity towards this tendency of the mind.
Working with gentle persistence and interest the mind settles. Then we can investigate whatever is encountered during practice whether it is body sensations, thoughts or emotions with a sense of equanimity. This increases calmness through steady concentration, and insight, through reflection. We become less driven by our reactions and develop a different relationship to stressful events.
Over time and with practice, we become more accepting of ourselves and less judgmental. The mind develops a balanced awareness which allows us to examine carefully and with compassion who we think we are and what we think we want. This kindness can then be extended to others. This does not imply resignation to abusive situations or wrongful actions, but rather the skill to act wisely and effectively when required.
No one finds it easy to examine the contents of the mind for it brings us into direct contact with our anxieties and vulnerabilities but if we can see our attitudes clearly we will come to know which are helpful and which cause problems. We come to see the often automatic nature of thinking which can take us into worrying about the future or reliving the past. By developing our ability for self-observation we improve our chances of responding to experience less impulsively and more effectively. Mindfulness encourages us to face our thoughts and emotions regardless of whether we like them or not and softens the often harsh judgments and opinions we have about ourselves and others. Mindfulness increases opportunities to see thoughts and emotions as transient events rather than facts and offers the possibility of developing a different relationship to suffering. It allows us to see ourselves as whole rather than broken.
We can take all that we learn from this practice into our everyday lives. Grounded more and more in mindfulness the mind is free to respond skillfully to any given situation. When we can rest calmly with our vast array of feelings and thoughts, we are able to live fully and openly, caring for ourselves, for others and the world in which we live.
Silver Birch Counseling and Psychotherapy is pleased to offer individual sessions as well as group instruction in mindfulness meditation. Please call Susan Woods at (802) 253-2550 for further information.
There are many retreat centers worldwide that provide places for those interested in sustaining a mindfulness practice. For further information visit: www.dharma.org and www.spiritrock.org
Mindfulness Classes Offered By Susan Woods, MSW, LICSW.Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for the Prevention
of Depression Relapse: Mindfulness Meditation CDs Since 1979 when Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD., founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, there has been a growing interest within the fields of medicine and psychology about the delivery of mindfulness-based approaches for a variety of physical and mental illnesses. There are now many clinical studies that point to the efficacy and value of mindfulness in decreasing physical and psychological symptoms. For further information visit www.umassmed.edu/cfm and www.mbct.com |