Mindfulness Meditation May Provide Relief from Chronic Inflammation
A Center for Healthy Minds study suggests mindfulness meditation may provide relief from chronic inflammation.
Healthy Habits of Mind shows how kindergarteners at Oxford Elementary School in Berkeley, California are introduced to mindfulness during their school day. The students are taught mindful listening, mindful eating, mindful movement, and yoga by their classroom teacher. The film peeks into this course, taught by Mindful Schools Program Directors Megan Cowan and Chris McKenna. The movie also features leading neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson explaining how mindfulness affects brain function, and Megan explaining how mindfulness helps in schools. Mindful Schools offers courses for educators, psychologists, and parents to learn mindfulness and use it with children and adolescents. Learn more at mindfulschools.org.
The Shamatha Project is a meditation research study that took place in 2007 at the Shambhala Retreat Center (Shambhala Mountain Center) in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. A total of 70 novice (no previous meditation experience) subjects were taught the techniques of mindfulness meditation as well as the Buddhist mind training of the Four Immeasurables: equanimity, sympathetic joy, lovingkindness, and compassion. The research subjects were studies with EEG’s, questionnaires, and blood samples. The results went beyond what the scientists expected to find. They found that meditation not only can reduce the stress that one FEELS in the mind and body—but can also reduce stress at the level of the chromosomes and genes. The following article from psychologist Paul Greene, PhD, Manhattan Center for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), describes some of the findings.
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ADELE DIAMOND
The Science of Attention
Mindfulness Meditation, MBSR, and Pain Reduction
Mindfulness Meditation: A Primer for Rheumatologists
Introduction
Meditation, with its origins rooted in ancient religious and spiritual practices dating back over 2,500 years ago, has only in the past several decades begun to capture the attention of mainstream Western researchers and healthcare providers who are gradually beginning to value this mind-body practice as a tool to foster improved physiological and psychological health [1]. In the current medical environment, it is not uncommon for patients to report the use of mind-body therapies as an adjunct to Western medical treatment[2]. Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in meditation as a mind-body approach, in mindfulness meditation, given its potential to alleviate emotional distress and promote improved well-being in a variety of populations[3–5]. The overall purpose of this review is to provide the practicing rheumatologist with an overview of mindfulness and how it can be applied to Western medical treatment plans to enhance both the medical and psychological care of patients. Read More
Omega: Mindfulness & Education
Mindfulness and Schools
The Omega Institute writes on its website the following:
The practices of contemplative education, Social and Emotional Learning, and mindfulness are being widely explored in schools throughout the United States. Research continues to show that mindfulness practice decreases stress, attention deficit issues, depression, anxiety, and hostility in children, while also benefiting their health, well-being, social relations, and academic performance.
Numerous field studies in mindfulness and education show that teaching this practice to youth is profoundly beneficial for the development of children in grades K–12. Children can easily learn these techniques and, when learned young, they become lifelong tools supporting awareness, empathy, and resilience.
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