Week 1 Ellen Shilling

Week 1 Benefits of meditation. What is meditation. What is mindfulness. How to incorporate them easily into your life. Using Meditation to wake up from autopilot. Slides are on the website –

After 8 weeks mindfulness meditation, brain changes are visible in.. The cerebral cortex in areas associated with attention and emotional integrity. In grey-matter density in the hippocampus, important for learning and memory. Structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection. Decreased grey-matter density in the amygdala, associated with anxiety and stress.

Proven benefits of meditation… 20 minutes a day will alter the shape of your brain after 8 weeks. Reduces the ageing process as it lengthens your telomeres. Significantly reduces stress. Promotes a sense of happiness and freedom. Builds self confidence Helps with focus, motivation and concentration Develops intuition & Increases compassion Deeper understanding of yourself and others Provides peace of mind. Decreased tendency to worry.

Helps in chronic diseases such as asthma, arthritis, etc. Aids post-operative healing Enhances the immune system Increases the levels of serotonin promoting good sleep and the production of endorphins (happy hormones) Decreases muscle tension Helps in the treatment of headaches and migraines. Increases blood flow to the heart and slows the heart rate. And much much more. There are literally 100’s of reasons to meditate.

Scientifically proven benefits of Mindfulness…. Prof Barbara Fredrickson et al at University of North Carolina proved that meditation focusing on loving kindness boosted positive emotions which then led to a sense of having a greater zest for life. After just 9 weeks of training, meditators developed an increased sense of purpose and had fewer feelings of isolation and alienation, along with decreased symptoms of illness as diverse as headaches, chest pain, congestion and weakness.

Yet more benefits of Mindfulness…. Kirk Brown and Richard Ryan at the University of Rochester, NY, have discovered that more mindful people engage in more autonomous activities. That is they do not do things because others want them to or pressure them into doing them. Nor do they engage in tasks just to help them feel better about themselves. Rather, those who are more mindful spend more time doing things that they truly value, or that they simply find fun or interesting to do.

Yet more benefits of Mindfulness…. Numerous studies have proven the physical benefits of meditation. One 2005 study in the US showed that meditation leads to a massive reduction in mortality. Compared with controls, over a 19 year period, the meditation group showed a: 23% decrease in mortality 30% decrease in the rate of Cardiovascular mortality & 49% decrease in the rate of mortality due to cancer. This effect is equivalent to discovering an entirely new class of drugs (but without the inevitable side effects).

Yet more benefits of Mindfulness…. Research has shown that an 8 week Mindfulness course significantly reduces the chances of suffering despression.

Your thoughts……60,000 per day ….40,000 of them are negative

Dive under the waves…

& observe your thoughts

What meditation is not

Wrestling your mind Ever try and think your way out of an unhappy mood? How did it go for you?

"Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It's a way of entering into the quiet that's already there Buried under the 60,000 thoughts The average person thinks every day." ~ Deepak Chopra ~

There are many different ways to meditate: Mindfulness Mantra Guided meditations Zen meditation Transcendental Om Chakra

What is mindfulness? Buddhist practise. John Kabat Zin’s definition: Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non judgementally.

Lets break that down: Mindfulness is: the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non judgementally.

How? “Loose your mind and come to your senses.” Fritz Perl Use your senses to connect with the present moment. Hear See Feel Smell Taste

One of the benefits: Waking you up from Autopilot

Ruby Wax “You can do almost anything in your life on automatic pilot... You could end up thinking, eating, reading, getting married and dying in a haze of unawareness. Some people do. What happens is that you live on autopilot and miss noticing what's happening before your very eyes, paying no attention to the present moment.“ Mindfulness wakes you up to the present moment.

Practicalities of Meditating Silence or with gentle music. No distractions. Legs and arms uncrossed. Spine straight, sitting upright. Active process. Make sure you won’t be disturbed. Start with 5 to 10 minutes a day.

What happens if I fall asleep?

Now lets meditate….. Notice your thoughts. Observe your body. Come back to your breath….. GENTLY Sometimes in order to open your eyes, you need to close them.

Invitation…. For maximum benefits: Meditate 5 mins EVERY day. (Apps – Headspace.com and Wildmind.org or in silence.) Wake up to the autopilot: Pick an activity that you will pay attention to every day. Such as: Brushing your teeth Drinking tea, coffee, juice Taking out the rubbish Loading the dishwasher or washing machine Something else.

Resources Apps: Headspace.com Insight timer Guided Meditation – wildmind.org Books: John Kabat Zinn, Eckhart Tolle. Youtube: Eckhart Tolle on meditation: