Explore a variety of meditation and relaxation practices offered by Dr. Neda Gould, Director of the Johns Hopkins Mindfulness Program. Here you will find formal meditation practices, as well as ways to bring mindfulness to your daily activities.
Meditations
In mindfulness meditation practices, we are not trying to change our experience. We are building awareness of our present-moment experiences and opening toward them whether they are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. In this way, we begin to build resilience to be with whatever life presents, moment to moment.
Relaxation Practices
Relaxation exercises are additional tools that can be helpful for stress reduction and improved well-being. Relaxation practices differ from mindfulness practices in the subtle changes we may be creating, such as deepening our breathing, as opposed to just observing our experiences. There is space for both of these practices in our lives.
Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation
Many research studies have shown that mindfulness meditation can reduce stress, symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and pain and contribute to an overall sense of well-being.
Decreased Stress and Anxiety
Anxiety is often related to thinking negatively about the future. A significant amount of empirical evidence has shown that mindfulness decreases our stress and anxiety because it trains our minds to focus on the present. Some research has even shown that regular mindfulness meditation practice can be as beneficial as antidepressant medication for anxiety.
Improved Mood
Focusing on negative events of the past can perpetuate feelings of sadness and depression. Regular mindfulness meditation practice can improve our mood and decrease symptoms of depression. It can also prevent the recurrence of depression.
Improved Focus
The mind has a tendency to wander. During times of stress, our mind may wander more to stressful experiences we are dealing with. This can certainly detract from our happiness. Mindfulness allows us to notice these moments of the wandering mind and to return to the present, thus improving our ability to sustain focused attention.
Reduced Physical Pain
The practice of mindfulness meditation changes the way our brain processes pain. There is significant research that shows that even brief periods of mindfulness meditation can decrease pain severity and increase pain acceptance across a variety of pain-related illnesses.
Improved Immune Function
We are continuing to learn about the impact of meditation on the processes of aging and illness. To date, research has shown that regular mindfulness meditation can decrease inflammatory markers in the blood and improve immune function.
Decreased Blood Pressure
While we are still learning about this area, research studies have shown that in some individuals regular mindfulness meditation can significantly reduce blood pressure.
Decreased Rumination
It’s often easy for the brain to get stuck in a loop of thoughts. These may be thoughts about a stressful experience from the past or about the uncertainty of the future. Mindfulness helps us break this cycle and refocuses our attention on the present.
Positive Brain Changes
Imaging studies have shown that regular mindfulness practice changes the neuronal pathways of the brain. Some research has shown increased activity, connectivity and volume in regions of the brain that are involved in memory, higher-ordered thinking and emotional regulation.
