Mindful Meditation
Most people move through life on autopilot with our thoughts caught up in the past or concerned about the future. Yet the present moment is the only opportunity we have to effect change for ourselves and others.
Mindful meditation is a practice that invites us to bring awareness into the present moment and recognize what is happening within and around us whether pleasant or unpleasant. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn describes mindfulness as “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”
Mindfulness invites us to celebrate the small, valuable moments including such things as the taste, color and texture of food, the warm water in our morning shower, the movement of the clouds in the sky and our connection to those we care for and love.
Our practices include paying attention to the breath, to body sensations, and other methods of directing attention to what’s happening in immediate experience.
Mindful meditation helps us become aware of emotions, thoughts and behaviors and recognize what is helpful and what is not. Mindfulness deepens awareness of the intelligence of the body and acknowledges warning signs of stress and illness so one can respond with compassion and self-care.
We base our mindfulness practices on evidence-based research. The American Psychological Association notes that “psychologists have found that mindfulness meditation changes our brain and biology in positive ways, improving mental and physical health.”
At Imagine Well Being our mindfulness practices are informed by the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program developed by Kabat-Zinn at the UMass Medical Center. We use MBSR training and programming materials from Palouse Mindfulness with permission.