Mindfulness, the conscious presence
Mindfulness is derived from English and can be translated with the periphrasis " presence and awareness in what is done and what is here and now " .
However, to make and fully understand the meaning of the word, one must take a step back, looking at what its origin is.
Mindfuness finds full correspondence in the ancient practice of classical Buddhist meditation ; however, far from being something simply passive, mindfulness becomes a technique that unites the Eastern tradition with modern Western psychology, becoming also an effective method to cope with the difficulties and situations of discomfort that life presents day after day.
In the West, one of the pioneers of this practice and the spokesperson for the mindfulness approach as a therapy was the professor and doctor Jon Kabat-Zinn, who also applied it at the clinical level.
After studies were carried out and scientific research has been carried out on the benefits that can be found following meditation practices, the application of mindfulness has also taken hold in the workplace and in education .
How mindfulness works
Mindfulness aims to activate a healthier, more serene, conscious and welcoming lifestyle in people. The value of hospitality, the first characteristic of this practice, also becomes the ability to observe without judgment, to then evaluate and discover the way to face the problems that arise, so as to find the right ways out.
In fact, a psychologist, psychotherapist, counselor or mindfulness expert will propose an introductory and initial level of meditation practice that is appropriate and suitable for everyday contexts of the person or persons who wish to experience this practice of well-being and of education or emotional re-education.
Here is a video of the psychiatrist and psychotherapist Pietro Spagnulo who illustrates the mindfulness in 15 minutes, complete with an example of practice and exercises.
Mindfulness for happiness
Stress, anxiety, depression, panic attacks : mindfulness takes away from everyday automatisms and impulsive reactions, bringing us back to the moment we are living. A mental process that aims to bring people to look for a better lifestyle, present and more lucid, aware, active and peaceful .
Happiness, after all - as Hermann Hesse said " There is no duty of life, there is only the duty of being happy " - is above all a duty .
Mindfulness is today at the center of various researches, especially because there are many applications and benefits that can be obtained.
Studies and research on mindfulness
A recent study by Brown University states that mindfulness is a practice capable of activating an important neurophysiological mechanism, which involves the alpha rhythm, or neural oscillations.
As The Guardian reports, another study by Cambridge University states that through mindfulness students can support and improve mental health.
And from Harvard the confirmation that mindfulness meditation can help to alleviate anxiety and mental stress, also modifying some brain mechanisms in patients suffering from depression.
Useful references:
> Aim, Italian Association for Mindfulness
> " Healing with meditation " Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sogyal Rinpoche, Clifford Saron
> " Meditation as medicine " Dalai Lama (Bhiksu Tenzin Gyatso), Jon Kabat-Zinn, Richard J. Davidson
