Concentrative fixates on a particular point, whether it is a word, breath, or object. The goal is to release your thoughts and maintain or refocus your attention on that point, preventing your mind from wandering.

Meditation does not always involve quietly sitting still. Slow, repetitive movements, such as through yoga and tai chi, that focus on your breath can be equally effective in relaxing your mind and body.

Simply saving a few minutes per day has been proven to reduce distractions and increase focus. This summer, students are invited to explore the power of mindfulness in an online program with Rajiah Williams Leong, Mindfulness Facilitator and Associate in the Enterprise Risk Management program.

Learn more in the video below and sign up here. Recent graduates with a bachelor's or master's degree from CUNY will be eligible for the fellowship.

Check out some photos from last December's Days 'Til Graduation event. Dean Troy Eggers welcomes new and returning students to the spring semester at SPS.

Mindfulness programs for schools have become popular. These programs provide mindfulness training with the goal of helping students and educators manage stress and anxiety, resolve conflicts, control impulses, and improve resilience, memory, and concentration. The mindfulness practices and training methods used in these programs vary widely.

Studies on the effectiveness of school-based mindfulness programs have had small sample sizes and been of varying quality.

In a U. survey, 1. Among those responders who practiced mindfulness meditation exclusively, 73 percent reported that they meditated for their general wellness and to prevent diseases, and most of them approximately 92 percent reported that they meditated to relax or reduce stress.

In more than half of the responses, a desire for better sleep was a reason for practicing mindfulness meditation. Meditation and mindfulness practices may have a variety of health benefits and may help people improve the quality of their lives.

Recent studies have investigated if meditation or mindfulness helps people manage anxiety, stress, depression, pain, or symptoms related to withdrawal from nicotine, alcohol, or opioids.

Other studies have looked at the effects of meditation or mindfulness on weight control or sleep quality. However, much of the research on these topics has been preliminary or not scientifically rigorous. Because the studies examined many different types of meditation and mindfulness practices, and the effects of those practices are hard to measure, results from the studies have been difficult to analyze and may have been interpreted too optimistically.

Few high-quality studies have examined the effects of meditation and mindfulness on blood pressure. According to a statement from the American Heart Association, the practice of meditation may have a possible benefit, but its specific effects on blood pressure have not been determined.

Studies examining the effects of mindfulness or meditation on acute and chronic pain have produced mixed results. Several clinical trials have investigated if mindfulness-based approaches such as mindfulness-based relapse prevention MBRP might help people recover from substance use disorders.

These approaches have been used to help people increase their awareness of the thoughts and feelings that trigger cravings and learn ways to reduce their automatic reactions to those cravings. Studies have suggested that meditation and mindfulness may help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD.

Studies have suggested possible benefits of meditation and mindfulness programs for losing weight and managing eating behaviors. Several studies have been done on using meditation and mindfulness practices to improve symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD.

However, the studies have not been of high quality and the results have been mixed, so evidence that meditation or mindfulness approaches will help people manage symptoms of ADHD is not conclusive.

Some research suggests that meditation and mindfulness practices may affect the functioning or structure of the brain. Studies have used various methods of measuring brain activity to look for measurable differences in the brains of people engaged in mindfulness-based practices.

Other studies have theorized that training in meditation and mindfulness practices can change brain activity. However, the results of these studies are difficult to interpret, and the practical implications are not clear.

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Home Health Information Meditation and Mindfulness: What You Need To Know. Meditation and Mindfulness: What You Need To Know. What are meditation and mindfulness? Are meditation and mindfulness practices safe?

How popular are meditation and mindfulness? Why do people practice mindfulness meditation? What are the health benefits of meditation and mindfulness?

Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. A NCCIH-supported analysis of groups of participants with diagnosed psychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression examined mindfulness meditation approaches compared with no treatment and with established evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressant medications.

The analysis included more than 12, participants, and the researchers found that for treating anxiety and depression, mindfulness-based approaches were better than no treatment at all, and they worked as well as the evidence-based therapies.

A analysis of 23 studies 1, participants examined mindfulness-based practices used as treatment for adults with diagnosed anxiety disorders. The studies included in the analysis compared the mindfulness-based interventions alone or in combination with usual treatments with other treatments such cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, and relaxation.

The analysis showed mixed results for the short-term effectiveness of the different mindfulness-based approaches. Overall, they were more effective than the usual treatments at reducing the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms, but only some types of mindfulness approaches were as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy.

However, these results should be interpreted with caution because the risk of bias for all of the studies was unclear.

Also, the few studies that followed up with participants for periods longer than 2 months found no long-term effects of the mindfulness-based practices. A analysis of 23 studies that included a total of 1, college and university students looked at the effects of yoga, mindfulness, and meditation practices on symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Although the results showed that all the practices had some effect, most of the studies included in the review were of poor quality and had a high risk of bias.

High Blood Pressure. A review of 14 studies including more than 1, participants examined the effects of mindfulness practices on the blood pressure of people who had health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or cancer.

The analysis showed that for people with these health conditions, practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction was associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure. A report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that mindfulness-based stress reduction was associated with short-term less than 6 months improvement in low-back pain but not fibromyalgia pain.

A NCCIH-supported analysis of five studies of adults using opioids for acute or chronic pain with a total of participants found that meditation practices were strongly associated with pain reduction. This helps you mitigate some of the stress and anxious thoughts you have. During a concentration meditation session, your mind and body focus all your attention on one thing.

This usually involves focusing on your deep breathing as it enters and leaves your body. Some people also like to focus on a saying or mantra to help them concentrate on their meditation.

A mantra is a phrase that you silently repeat to yourself. You tend to focus less on other thoughts or feelings that could distract you. These practices help increase the level of calmness and relaxation you feel.

The main difference between mindfulness meditation and concentration is what your body and mind focuses on during the session. When you practice mindfulness meditation, you recognize and acknowledge. The feelings, thoughts, and sensations you have instead of suppressing them.

The goal is to accept the feelings you have without judging or analyzing them. Concentration meditation focuses on a specific activity that you concentrate on during the meditation session. This helps you get rid of other thoughts. Concentration meditation is a type of meditation that focuses on your attention.

Most people think about meditation as concentrating on specific elements that help ground you and keep your mind in the present. For example, you might be encouraged to focus on your breathing, the pain you feel, the butterflies in your stomach, or a feeling of joy.

These feelings remind you of what is happening in the present, which helps you calm your mind and thoughts instead of feeling stressed or worried about the future. This one thing could be your deep breathing, a sound, or a mantra that you constantly repeat to yourself.

Focusing on these single activities help you eliminate all other thoughts or feelings that could distract you during your meditation. Individuals that practice concentration meditation experience many benefits that help them cope with stress and alleviate the symptoms they feel.

Concentration meditation emphasizes attention and focuses on a single object. When your mind concentrates on one thing for a long period, you tend to get rid of any other thoughts or feelings.

This helps you focus less on any negative thoughts or emotions you might feel, such as stress, anxiety, and pain. Instead, your body focuses on an easy and calming activity to help your mind feel less worried.

Concentration meditation also helps slow down your breathing. When you feel stressed or anxious, you might feel your heart rate and breathing rate increase.

When your breathing and heart rate slows down, your body naturally starts to feel calmer and more relaxed. This helps you with stress management. Worries are a common cause of stress and anxiety for many people.

It can lead to overthinking and fears as the mind thinks ab out different scenarios and possibilities of things going wrong. This makes it harder for your mind to focus on the thoughts that make you feel more worried.

This could be the sound of a clock, your breathing, a bell, or a saying or word that you repeat. When you hear that sound or feel that motion repetitively, you have something to guide your attention. Gently bringing your attention and concentration back to the object or sound whenever you feel your mind start to wander can help you stay focused on the present and reduce the distracting thoughts you have.

Stress, pain, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms or conditions can easily keep your mind occupied or distracted throughout the day.

Meditation in general is great for improving your concentration, patience, and focus on an activity. Research has found that mindfulness meditation can change the way your brain reacts by increasing feelings of relaxation. It can help you reduce stress, pain, depression, and anxiety.

It can also help you focus and concentrate, allowing you to be more productive and feel more accomplished throughout your day. Mindfulness meditation also helps train your mind to regain focus every time it gets distracted by something.

If you consistently practice mindfulness meditation, your mind and body will become used to bouncing back after certain stressful situations and distractions.

Mindfulness meditation emphasizes your awareness. It involves paying attention to specific thoughts and feelings you currently have without judging those sensations.

The goal is to be as aware as possible of everything your body experiences in that specific moment and identify how those experiences make you feel. Present moment awareness is the key in mindfulness meditation for transforming anxiety and stressful moments.

It gives you the tools to turn the anxiety you feel into calmness by acknowledging all your emotions and focusing on the present to process the thoughts and feelings you have.

You recognize these thoughts and feelings as a normal part of being human and to redirect your energy into calmness and relaxation instead of fear.

Concentration meditation emphasizes the focus of attention. This activity could be the inhale and exhale of your breath, the ticking of a clock, a specific phrase, or a small repetitive motion. It also makes it harder for your mind and body to feel or think about other things, since your mind is concentrated on a specific action or sound.

If your mind does wander and you get distracted during a concentration meditation session, simply return your attention to the specific sound or motion of your choice and you can regain concentration.

Another difference between mindfulness meditation and concentration meditation is that mindfulness picks an object for you to focus on and simply notices when your attention has changed.

The purpose is to simply be aware of how you are feeling, not to become absorbed. Concentrative fixates on a particular point, whether it is a word, breath, or object. The goal is to release your thoughts and maintain or refocus your attention on that point, preventing your mind from wandering.

Meditation does not always involve quietly sitting still. Slow, repetitive movements, such as through yoga and tai chi, that focus on your breath can be equally effective in relaxing your mind and body. Simply saving a few minutes per day has been proven to reduce distractions and increase focus.

This summer, students are invited to explore the power of mindfulness in an online program with Rajiah Williams Leong, Mindfulness Facilitator and Associate in the Enterprise Risk Management program. Learn more in the video below and sign up here. Recent graduates with a bachelor's or master's degree from CUNY will be eligible for the fellowship.

Check out some photos from last December's Days 'Til Graduation event. Depending on your personality and meditation goals—such as expanding your mind, finding more peace, or quieting your thoughts—you can find a method of meditation that works for you.

Nyhus E, Engel WA, Pitfield TD, Vakkur IMW. Increases in theta oscillatory activity during episodic memory retrieval following mindfulness meditation training. Front Hum Neurosci. Yoshida K, Takeda K, Kasai T, et al. Focused attention meditation training modifies neural activity and attention: longitudinal EEG data in non-meditators.

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. Lippelt DP, Hommel B, Colzato LS. Focused attention, open monitoring and loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity - A review. Front Psychol.

Klawonn A, Kernan D, Lynskey J. A 5-Week seminar on the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of self-care improves anxiety, self-compassion, mindfulness, depression, and stress in graduate healthcare students.

Int J Yoga Therap. By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

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Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. Remaining fully aware during this process is a powerful training in concentration — many people notice that their minds have wandered before they can count to three.

Sustained attention studies indicate that people who practice guided meditation for focus on one particular task can complete it more successfully than non-meditators. They especially perform better when the task allocated was completely unexpected, an indication that preparedness and vigilance improve with consistent meditation.

If you find meditation challenging, guided meditation for concentration might be a good choice for you. Here the voice of an instructor guides you through your meditation session. The session could take place at your home or in a group setting. Your job, as a meditator, is to notice when that happens and come back to the practice.

Concentration meditation can be practiced most anytime. You can train yourself to live in the moment and become aware of thoughts as they come and go. Consider carrying out your everyday activities mindfully. When you eat, for instance, try to feel the texture and flavor of your food as you chew and note the different sensations present in your body.

No listening to the radio, making a shopping list, checking your emails or reading the news. Use the act of eating or engaging in other activities to develop your concentration by remaining one-pointedly focused on the task at hand.

How to begin? Why not train your mind with a free online meditation course in mindfulness. About the Author: Mindworks Team. What Is Dependent Origination? The Relationship Between Shamatha and Vipashyana Meditation. Mindworks goal is simple—we want to help you discover the transformative power of meditation so that you can live your best life.

As a c3 nonprofit, your support enables us to bring accessible, authentic meditation guidance to a worldwide community.