When you close your eyes to sleep at night, how many thoughts fill your mind? Being conscious is a remarkable experience, but one of the less desirable effects of our brains alertness is distraction. Thoughts can crowd an experience, preventing our total attention to any activity. With practice it is possible to train attention, even the attention of the sub-conscious. Many call this skill mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the common term used to describe a state of non-judgmental focus on sensations, thoughts and emotions. As with any skill, mindfulness is cultivated with practice. With practice, mindfulness creates a state of separation from experience, and creates discreteness in each experience.
Commonly, mindfulness meditation is practiced sitting with the eyes closed, with the back straight. Attention is put on the sensations of breathing. Some focus on the movement of air through the nose, others choose to focus on the movements of the abdomen. As the attention wanders, one notices that the focus has drifted from the breath, and moves the attention back to the breath.
There are a long list of benefits to mindfulness meditation. Research has demonstrated improvements in psychological stress response, reduced psychological stress, decreased binge eating and emotional eating, lowered blood pressure, and reduced sympathetic nerve activity. Anecdotal evidence is not lacking, and many people enjoy mindfulness meditation as a means to health.
Mindfulness meditation is beneficial even without much time investment. Five minutes each morning devoted to training the focus has dramatic benefit. Five minutes each morning will yield you richer experiences, greater focus and a better life.
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