Mindful Meditation – An exercise of connecting with the consciousness
The practice of meditation originated in the ancient Vedic times of India and is described in the ancient Vedic texts. According to Vedic science, the true purpose of meditation is to connect oneself to one's deep inner Self. Techniques which achieve that goal serve the true purpose of meditation.
Meditation can be explained as a mental exercise. It involves relaxation, focus and awareness.
According to our Vedic Science, the human being consists of three aspects –
Physical body
The Inner faculty consists of Mind, Intellect, Ego and ‘Chitta’ which are the storehouse memories and impressions of life.
Deep inner self which in non-changing pure consciousnes
Types of Meditations
Though there are many types of meditation practices, some of the well-known practices in the West are “Mindful Meditation”, “Transcendental Meditation” and “Kundalini Meditation”.
This article helps understand mindful meditation.
Mindful Meditation
The practice of mindfulness involves the purposeful focusing of one's attention in the present moment with a nonjudgmental attitude. This definition of mindfulness was formulated by Kabat-zinn in 2003.
In recent times ‘Mindfulness Meditation (MM) has been popular due to the various clinical studies and researches showcasing the therapeutic benefits of Mindful Meditation. What exactly is mindful meditation
It is the act of turning your attention away from daily chatter of your mind and focusing on your own emotions, thoughts and sensations. It involves awareness about mind and body, mental imagery, breathing practice and relaxation techniques.
The original standardized program on Mindful Meditation is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD (who was a student of Buddhist monk and scholar Thich Nhat Hanh).
Clinical Studies on the Benefits of Mindful Meditation –
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction appears to be an effective tool to reduce anxiety in patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Patients who learned Mindfulness Meditation had less stress reactivity, and were more resilient, to a laboratory stress task.
A recent paper in the Archives of General Psychiatry confirms that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) “offers protection against relapse/recurrence on a par with that of maintenance antidepressant pharmacotherapy.
Changes in brain function during meditation have been documented using electrophysiology, single photon emission computed tomography, PET and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results differ somewhat, possibly owing to the use of different forms of meditation, but in general show increased signals in brain regions related to affect regulation and attentional control, with increased release of dopamine. Long-term brain changes are of greater interest to MBCT as a preventive strategy.