Necessary for some,

beneficial for all.

Practicing mindfulness and maintaining a regular practice can help you with almost everything you do in life. Research has demonstrated that maintaining a mindfulness practice can help to decrease stress and anxiety, increase attention, improve interpersonal relationships, strengthen compassion, and a host of other benefits. 

Furthermore, beginning a mindfulness practice from a young age can lead to long-term improvements in life. Studies find that children and youth who practice mindfulness have reported to experience improved focus and awareness leading to increased performance in school, better problem solving skills, increased levels of inner happiness and satisfaction, as well as lower levels of stress.  

Can we rewire our brains?

Participants who completed an 8 week Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction course demonstrated that participants' brain structures changed after the program was complete. The amygdala, the area of the brain responsible for emotions and fight or flight center- shrunk. While the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with higher order thinking, creativity and decision making, actually thickened. These results demonstrate the significance of training our minds and in turn rewiring our brains and changing our behaviour through neuroplasticity. All behaviour can be changed, you just have to ask yourself if you have the desire to change yours.

Mindfulness Research.

    1. Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness-­based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: a review and meta-­analysis. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(5), 593–600.

    2. Brewer, J. A., Worhunsky, P. D., Gray, J. R., Tang, Y. Y., Weber, J., & Kober, H. (2011). Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(50), 20254-20259.

    3. Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S. F., Urbanowski, F., Harrington, A., Bonus, K., & Sheridan, J. F. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic medicine, 65(4), 564–570.

    4. Flook, L., Goldberg, S. B., Pinger, L., Bonus, K., & Davidson, R. J. (2013). Mindfulness for teachers: A pilot study to assess effects on stress, burnout, and teaching efficacy. Mind, Brain, and Education, 7(3), 182–195.

    5. Good, D. J., Lyddy, C. J., Glomb, T. M., Bono, J. E., Brown, K. W., Duffy, M. K., Baer, R. A., Brewer, J. A., & Lazar, S. W. (2016). Contemplating mindfulness at work: An integrative review. Journal of Management, 42(1), 114–142.

    6. Gotink, R. A., Meijboom, R., Vernooij, M. W., Smits, M., & Hunink, M. G. (2016). 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction induces brain changes similar to traditional long-term meditation practice - A systematic review. Brain and cognition, 108, 32–41.

    7. Jha, A. P., Krompinger, J., & Baime, M. J. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience, 7(2), 109–119.

    8. Jones, D. E., Greenberg, M., & Crowley, M. (2015). Early Social-­Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness. American Journal of Public Health, 105(11), 2283–2290.

    9. Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., & Burney, R. (1985). The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of behavioral medicine, 8(2), 163-190.

    10. Liehr, P., & Diaz, N. (2010). A Pilot Study Examining the Effect of Mindfulness on Depression and Anxiety for Minority Children. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 24(1), 69–71.

    11. Raes, F., Griffith, J. W., Van der Gucht, K., & Williams, J. M. G. (2014). School-­based prevention and reduction of depression in adolescents: A cluster-­randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness group program. Mindfulness, 5(5), 477–486.

    12. Thierry, K. L., Bryant, H. L., Nobles, S. S., & Norris, K. S. (2016). Two-year impact of a mindfulness-based program on preschoolers’ self-regulation and academic performance. Early Education and Development, 27(6), 805–821.