Benefits of Mindfulness
& Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
There are several different benefits of practicing mindfulness, including (but not limited to):
Mindfulness and performance: Mindfulness practice aims to boost awareness of the inner workings of mental, emotional and physical processes. Mindfulness and meditation can improve physical performance, transform fears or disarm negative thoughts and provide a chance to practice non-judgment and self-compassion, especially when things go wrong.
Mindfulness and the creative process: According to mindful.com, “Balancing the art of the creative process also becomes a process of balancing our minds.” Accompanying meditative practices to enhance creativity include:
Preparation and incubation: Mindfulness meditation boosts divergent thinking and creative brainstorming, with less distraction, more focus, less tension and obsession and greater calm. This can result in a higher quality of initial ideas and ways to further develop them.
Illumination: Mindfulness fosters clarity and increases awareness of moments of insight, without the noise of a cluttered mind. Sleep and meditation both can help prevent ideas from becoming clouded by distracting or stressful thoughts.
Verification and refinement: Mindfulness helps in convergent thinking, when moving from idea to reality. Exercise and meditation promote attention, positivity, motivation and perseverance for realizing novel and effective solutions.
Mindfulness strengthens neural connections: By training the brain in mindfulness and related practices, the brain develops new neural pathways and networks, increasing concentration, flexibility, awareness and a feeling of wellbeing.
What mindfulness is not. Mindfulness is not about “fixing” people or stopping their thoughts. It’s not about belonging to a religion, escaping from reality or a panacea.
Learn more about Mind-Body Therapies offered at CFI…