It’s a hectic world out there, and most of us are balancing busy lives. How to shut out the noise? How to quiet our minds to find peace and improve our mental and physical health? Mindful meditation is said to build new pathways in our brains, but many find it difficult to quiet our thoughts. Board Certified Clinical Health Psychologist Nicole Najar explains the how and the why of mindful meditation.
“Mindful meditation is a tradition largely from the East,” says Najar. “It is a way of being both in formal and informal meditation that is focused attention on purpose with loving kindness and compassion in a nonjudgemental way. The practice of meditation allows for us to notice the habits of our mind, what our mind is attracted to, and be able to have a place that we place our attention time and again.”
Najar says that mindful meditation can help with chronic conditions by allowing us to tune into areas of our bodies that are struggling. It can help our minds not respond to those signals from our bodies that can help in alleviating pain or to respond in a different way.
“Studies have been done all over about mindful meditation,” she says. “It really boils down to the fact that when we are bringing attention to the present moment. We aren’t spending as much time rehearsing for what’s next or rehashing what’s already been. We find that when we spend time in the present moment, from the studies they have done, we are overall happier and that our brains build new pathways to deal with things as they come our way.”
Nicole Najar is currently working within the Veteran’s Administration in Battle Creek with the intersection of physical and mental health. Najar personally practices mindfulness meditation as learned through Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Her workshop on mindful meditation will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10, at Portage District Library. Registration is requested.
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