Mindfulness & Meditation. (Angel of Meditation)
The Mindfulness and Meditation angel pendants help us to tune in to a sense of infinite calm and serenity. Some may think meditation is like “zoning out” but actually mindfulness meditation is like “zoning in”. I have never felt more like I am here and part of the world than while I’m meditating. I feel aware and “alive”, and when I’ve finished its like, “Oh well, I’ll stop now and get back to my day” – but in truth I am very likely going back to a state where I will worry about what I should have said yesterday or plan what I’ll have to do tomorrow, to the point where I am not present for myself in the real world at all, but drawn away into the perceived demands and chaos and stress that has become the norm of so many peoples lives.
Are there still people out there who think meditation is hippy woo woo?..
..even now that we have a growing fan base for it within the walls of the Palace of Westminster itself ? ..Yess, right..an MP has been leading parliament astray advocating mindfulness meditation – he is teaching the technique to stress weary, under-pressure politicians and so far scores of MPs and peers have taken part in weekly mindfulness sessions in parliament and another round of the eight-week course is due to start this month.
Mental Health – the biggest issue of all health conditions.
The World Health Organisation states that by 2030, mental health will be the biggest cause of burden out of all health conditions, including heart conditions and cancer., but last week, the British Parliament launched an all-party group given the task of exploring the uses of mindfulness meditation in healthcare, education, the workplace, and the criminal justice system. As this group kicks off its efforts to study the potential uses of mindfulness meditation in public services, many are hopeful that this is just the beginning of a ‘mindfulness revolution’ that may one day change society. And this isn’t just a pipe dream.
They did not listen then, but they’re listening now.
Isn’t it nice to think of them all umming and omming and contemplating their navels – no seriously though, the notion of mindfulness meditation has caught on all over the UK, not just in Parliament. Average Brits can participate in one of the more than 800 mindfulness meditation courses currently offered around the country. Clearly, mindfulness meditation is more than just a trend—it’s a phenomenon that has the potential to improve the quality of life for just about anyone.
Don’t know what it is?
Mindfulness is simply giving the thinking apparatus a rest, so that we can get in touch with our essential nature; with whatever we consider to be divine, or in the secular sense; namely, to train the mind, in the same way that we would lift weights to strengthen a muscle, to be able to relax and avoid wildly running round on autopilot — for longer and longer periods of time.
Various studies and research into the health benefits show that mindfulness and meditation have strong effects in reducing negative personality traits and stress, improving attention and mindfulness, reducing anxiety, negative emotions, and neuroticism, while aiding learning, memory, self-realisation and overall emotional well-being.
Mindfulness is often used as one aspect of treatment for a range of issues such as depression, substance abuse, binge eating disorder, chronic pain and cancer.
Practicing mindfulness meditation for brief periods, even 5 or 10 minutes a day, can improve your health. Hippy woo woo or not – our future sanity may depend on it!