
A third control group learned certain coping skills.
#Simply being mindfulness meditation app how to
How to cure your pandemic blues with moments of pure joyĮmily Lindsay, a research assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, led a 2018 study (Opens in a new tab) that developed a mindfulness training app with renowned expert Shinzen Young to discover what happened when one group of users received instruction on monitoring their emotions and physical sensations while a second group learned both how to pay attention to those feelings and accept them. The point is to accept whatever comes rather than avoid or wish it away.ĭeveloping that acceptance is a skill - and one that's critical to experiencing the benefits of mindfulness, according to research. Those could be pleasant, neutral, or even painful. Mindfulness meditation is designed to focus your attention on whatever feelings or sensations arise. Mindfulness, on the other hand, is the work of staying in the present moment, so dozing off during a session isn't exactly encouraged. Some meditations are meant for relaxation or sleep. Does it help? Yes," says Winston, who offers mindfulness instruction on the UCLA Mindful and Ten Percent Happier apps.Īnother helpful distinction is to remember that meditation doesn't necessarily involve mindfulness. "Do you have to meditate to be mindful? No. Meditation is a technique that helps train the mind to develop that attention, through repetition and practice. The two things are, in fact, separate.ĭiana Winston, director of mindfulness education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness (Opens in a new tab), likes to describe mindfulness as a quality of attention you can have at any point of the day. The first thing you might be wondering - or feel worried about - is whether practicing mindfulness means committing to meditation. Related Video: 5 mental health apps for anyone seeking counseling or therapy That's why we've talked to experts about what qualities to look for in a mindfulness app, and reviewed several apps that offer some form of mindfulness education. The downside, however, is sorting through hundreds of wellness apps, after searching for "mindfulness," trying to find the one that best suits your needs and personality. Sessions can be done at your preferred time, location, and place. It eliminates the awkwardness of joining a class or video call as a stranger. Similarly, meditation centers are also an excellent resource.įor some, however, learning mindfulness via an app may be more appealing. In pre-coronavirus pandemic times, your local yoga studio probably hosted mindfulness workshops, which may have since shifted to Zoom. The UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center offers (Opens in a new tab) live and pre-recorded classes, as do other (Opens in a new tab) universities (Opens in a new tab) with mindfulness programs.
#Simply being mindfulness meditation app series
Kabat-Zinn has a series of books (Opens in a new tab) on the subject, along with audio and video instruction. The good news is there's no shortage of options.

If that sounds great, you might be wondering how to actually learn and cultivate mindfulness. Rooted in Buddhist meditation traditions, mindfulness is a practice that can (Opens in a new tab) reduce stress, increase focus, and decrease emotional reactivity, among other benefits.

Corporations have turned (Opens in a new tab) to mindfulness to boost employee productivity.ĭespite how it's used in popular culture, mindfulness as a concept has a widely accepted definition: It is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally, according (Opens in a new tab) to mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn. You've probably heard about school teachers (Opens in a new tab) who use it to help wiggly kids.

On Instagram, it might be the hashtag (Opens in a new tab) posted alongside an inspirational quote.

Mindfulness has become one of those wellness buzzwords that can mean anything depending on who's saying it.
