Mindfulness meditation is a practice that allows for a person to train themselves to train their senses to be more present to the moment, rather than being focused on the past or the future. As one learns to meditate in this fashion, the inner space can also be seen more easily and patterns that are self-destructive can be noticed. Overtime, with practice, meditation allows for less reactivity to stressful situations, as a person is able to bring more awareness to their thinking, feelings and emotions, the same can be done with outside circumstances as they come up (watching events, rather than immediately reacting to them).
The beginners Mindfulness Meditation class at Challenging Minds Wellness Center teaches students how to learn different basic styles of meditation and how to implement them in your daily life. The class offers both educational resources, as well as opportunities to meditate with others who are new to the practice. The Mindfulness Meditation groups are led by Andrew Matusiak, LCSW, a Certified Meditation and Mindfulness Instructor.
Individual sessions are also offered for those who would like more specialized attention to their practice or for advanced meditators that are looking for overcoming obstacles or enhancing outcomes.
Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness:
- Less reactivity to stress
- Increased awareness to sources of mood or anxiety changes
- Increasing of grey matter and neurons involving executive function in the brain (focus potential)
- Decrease of the fear center, or amygdala
- Greater sense of well-being and compassion for one’s self and others
- Increased mood
Research:
