Mindfulness:
Awareness of what you are feeling, sensing or thinking right now, without judging it to be good or bad
We Know How Mindfulness Works
Increasingly, mindfulness and meditation are media buzzwords associated with wellness. But it’s not just a passing trend; the buzz is largely driven by a significant body of neuroscience research about the ability to change the way we think, feel and act. Meditation and other mindful practices are tools of change.
Scientists have proven that by repeatedly practicing new thought patterns, you can create more effective, automatic behaviors. Just like physical exercise makes the body stronger during physical activity and throughout daily movement, time allocated to training the mind yields an immediate benefit and longer-term improvements too.
The Science of Mindfulness
Hover over each Brain Bit tile to reveal scientific research about how mindfulness helps you feel better, think better and connect better.
Mindfulness and Meditation
You might notice that the terms mindfulness and meditation seem to be used interchangeably.
If you search online, you’ll find different definitions for each. Here’s our interpretation:
Mindfulness is awareness
of what you are feeling, sensing or thinking right now, without judging it to be good or bad.
Meditation is a mental training technique.
There are many kinds of meditation. Some are aimed at focusing attention, by concentrating
on breath, sound, or repeated phrases, for example. Other meditations cultivate social skillfulness, such as kindness, gratitude or empathic listening. And yet others bring awareness to the body, with body scans, walking or yoga. Meditation can be practiced in solitude or with others. For some people, doing it with a group can provide additional support, validation and inspiration.
Why Practice?
It’s called practice because you’re consciously setting aside time to train your brain to be more present, more responsive, more resilient, less judgmental. Like any other skill, practice helps you be more prepared to manage the demands of daily life with more ease.
View our latest infographic: "Why Is Mindfulness Training Important For Companies Right Now?"