What is Mindfulness?
- Maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment;
- Involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.
Why Practice Mindfulness?
- Is good for our bodies: A seminal study found that, after just eight weeks of training, practicing mindfulness meditation boosts our immune system’s ability to fight off illness.
- Is good for our minds: Several studies have found that mindfulness increases positive emotions while reducing negative emotions and stress. Indeed, at least one study suggests it may be as good as antidepressants in fighting depression and preventing relapse.
- Changes our brains: Research has found that it increases density of gray matter in brain regions linked to learning, memory, emotion regulation, and empathy.
- Helps us focus: Studies suggest that mindfulness helps us tune out distractions and improves our memory and attention skills.
All meditation sessions take place via Skype™, Google Hangouts™, Cisco Webex™ or in-person, and can be held in English or Portuguese.
CLICK HERE for more information about the meditation sessions.