Mindfulness & Stress management

     “One of the most well-researched stress management programs is mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). MBSR teaches mindfulness, which is the ability to attend to thoughts and emotions as they arise and to be fully conscious of the present-moment experience. Taught to more than 5,000 medical patients since its inception more than 20 years ago, MBSR is typically run as an 8-week course instructing mindfulness through the practice of meditation, body scan (a type of guided awareness), and hatha yoga. One of the strengths of MBSR, in contrast to most stress-reduction programs, is that it offers participants different mindfulness practices from which to choose. Research indicates that participants often find one of the three practices more beneficial or preferred for personal reasons; consequently having options can improve compliance. This may help explain why MBSR has been found to have high compliance rates, even after 3 years.

      MBSR studies with varied populations have found significant decreases in anxiety/depression, mood disturbance, somatic symptoms of stress, and present-moment pain. Other mindfulness-based studies have demonstrated improvements in quality of life, health-related quality of life, general health, sleep quality, and immune function and decreases in psychological distress and physical symptoms and conditions. Findings from a 3-year follow-up evaluation revealed maintenance of reduced levels of anxiety and depression, thus demonstrating the long-term effects of this program.”

      Schure MB, Christopher J, Christopher S. Mind-body medicine and the art of self-care: Teaching mindfulness to counseling students through yoga, meditation, and Qigong. Journal of Counseling & Development 2008; 86(1): 47-56.

Introductory details about mindfulness training from step #1 to ... :

http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.com/

Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR, speaking at Google