8 Benefits of Mindfulness and How to Start Your Practice
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Noticing a raindrop slowly trickle down a window, taking deep breaths in times of stress, and intentionally noticing flavors present in your dinner—spicy, sweet, salty, umami—are all examples of mindfulness, even though you may not realize it. In other words, you don’t have to sit cross-legged on a yoga mat, deep in meditation to experience a meaningful, mindful moment (although that is one way you can). In fact, there are many ways to practice mindfulness in daily life—it’s all about finding which best fit into yours. So, we spoke to experts who shared how to practice mindfulness. Keep reading to learn ways you can join in, with the goal of being as present as possible.
Meet the Experts: Eric B. Loucks, Ph.D. associate professor and director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University and Christy Gibson, M.D., a family physician and trauma therapist in Calgary, Canada, author of The Modern Trauma Toolkit.
Keep reading to learn ways you can join in, with the goal of being as present as possible.
What is mindfulness?
“One of the most common definitions of mindfulness is the awareness that comes from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” explains Eric B. Loucks, Ph.D. associate professor and director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. “That’s a definition by Jon Kabat-Zinn.” It involves noticing the thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations at-hand, he adds: “It’s almost like we’re a scientist, just observing the data coming in through our senses.”
Christy Gibson, M.D., a family physician and trauma therapist in Calgary, Canada, author of The Modern Trauma Toolkit calls mindfulness “focused attention” on the present moment. “Focused attention on almost anything can be mindful,” she says. “It can also be a welcome distraction from worry about the future or ruminating about the past.”
More complex definitions of mindfulness also include the concept of “remembering,” Loucks explains, which involves remembering to apply the wisdom from life experiences to the present moment.
Mindfulness benefits
Loucks says there are “well over 10,000” peer-reviewed papers on mindfulness that exemplify its benefits, spanning from mental to physical health.
Neuroplasticity
Studies show that the longer mindfulness is practiced, the more neuroplasticity—or brain rewiring and adaptivity—is seen, Dr. Gibson says. That means mindfulness may play a role in keeping you fresh, and may even improve your ability to learn new things and consistently gain new perspectives.
Stress relief
Research has “clearly established” a link between mindfulness and stress reduction, says Dr. Gibson. In fact, there is even a particular type of mindfulness training developed Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer of mindfulness education, which he dubbed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Improved physical health
A recent clinical trial conducted by Loucks and other researchers found that mindfulness helped hypertensive participants better adhere to a healthy DASH diet, which therein helped control their blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major cause of heart disease.
Enhanced mood
Mindfulness has been studied as an effective intervention for the treatment of anxiety and depression—it helps reduce symptom severity and enhances mood.
Better sleep
“There’s some evidence for those that are just beginning to meditate, that they might actually sleep a little longer when they start,” explains Loucks. “Other people, when they’re in long-term retreat settings, they actually sleep less because they’re meditating so much, [it] can potentially put them in a pretty relaxed state. You just need less sleep.”
Either way, sleep quality seems to be improved by regular meditation and mindfulness, Loucks concludes.
Trauma healing
“When a person has experienced toxic stress or trauma, mindfulness can be an early practice as a gateway into more choice, or agency, over their thoughts and emotions,” explains Dr. Gibson. “Studies have shown that mindfulness can even lessen the perception of pain–surprising when you think of it as focused attention, but less so if you consider the capacity to shift your focus away from the sensations.”
Improved memory and focus
A 2018 study found that focused breathing mindfulness effectively improved memory and attention in participants. “Some of these changes can be seen on imaging where the brain changes before and after mindfulness practices over time,” Dr. Gibson adds.
Substance abuse treatment
Loucks points out that mindfulness training is being studied and used to help treat opioid addiction—specifically to address the emotional dysregulation, pain, and reward processing deficits that it tends to bring.
Mindfulness exercises to practice
There is no one “right” way to practice meditation, so it may take some trial and error to find one that works for you. Here are a few options:
Meditation
“The classic way that people think of mindfulness is meditation,” says Dr. Gibson. Again, to meditate, you don’t have to be the picture of a well-established yogi. There are different forms of meditation—some as simple as deep breathing—that can ground you in the present, such as:
Guided meditation
Probably the most common form of meditation for beginners is guided meditation, hundreds of which are available online. Loucks leads many of them himself on a platform called Insight Timer, which you can access for free. Guided meditations vary in approach, but require minimal preparation or experience. All you have to do is find a quiet moment, listen, and follow the instructions of your teacher.
Focused attention meditation
Focused attention meditation involves simply focusing on something—your breath, a body part, a sound, or an object—to keep you grounded in the present moment. Loucks says it can be as basic as deep breathing and focusing on the tip of the nose, where the breath enters and exits. You can even meditate while brushing your teeth, Dr. Gibson adds. “Pay attention to the toothbrush. Notice the texture of your bristles—how it feels against your teeth and gums,” she says. “What are the taste sensations, and how do they change while you brush your teeth? Can you notice the different areas of your tongue that are activated from the toothpaste?”
Contrary to what some assume, the goal of this type of meditation is not to refrain from wondering thoughts—they’re inevitable. “When the mind wanders, just notice where it went,” says Loucks, and invite it back to your object of meditation. You can do this for as long as you’d like. Loucks recommends aiming for around two minutes per session.
Affirmations
Dr. Gibson describes affirmations as positive mantras that offer an optimistic dream for the future, such as:
“Good things happen to me.”
“I am deserving.”
“I am finally safe now.”
If it feels silly saying things like these out loud, you can either repeat them internally, or, tweak them into what Dr. Gibson calls “iffirmations.” “As a mental health educator on TikTok, I was surprised when this video blew up!” she says. “It’s basically taking an affirmation and adding the hopeful words ‘what if’ to the front end. Iffirmations plant seeds of possibility. They create mental flexibility.”
Using the above statements, that shift would look like:
“What if good things could happen to me.”
“What if I could believe that I am deserving.”
“What if I am finally safe now.”
Mindful movement
It’s easy to equate mindfulness with stillness, but that’s not always the case. You can do almost anything mindfully, as long as you’re intentional about it. Dr. Gibson says there’s such thing as mindful eating, mindful walking, even mindful cleaning. Have you ever been so enthralled with a task that it’s the only thing you’re thinking about? Say, knitting, painting, or hiking? That’s an example of mindful movement.
Even professional athletes are coached with mindfulness training, Loucks says, because it tends to enrich flow states, or total task engagement accompanied by little self-referential thinking. This particular form of mindfulness was Loucks’ own gateway into the practice—he found it an exceptional tool for triathlon training and other high-adrenaline sports.
“I’d have to monitor my body and my thoughts and emotions, so that I wouldn’t go too hard and also not go too slow, and notice that my mind was wandering away so that I wouldn’t be tardy with my pace,” he explains. “I needed to have it in order to, you know, survive or not get hurt.”
Mindful self-compassion
“When I do trauma therapy work with my patients, my first step is always mindful self-compassion,” says Dr. Gibson, which is “being as generous as we can about our own intentions and efforts.” Essentially, it’s a shift in self-talk from negative to positive.
Dr. Gibson continues: “I truly believe that every human is doing the best that they can at every moment of the day. We may find ourselves tipped into traumatic states of fight, flight, or freeze–which can show up as irritability and anger, restlessness and worrying, or dissociation and disconnection... Mindful self-compassion helps us be kind to ourselves as we learn how to heal these reflexes and processes.”
How often to practice mindfulness
It’s ideal, of course, to practice mindfulness as often as you can, but Dr. Gibson says there is “no strong indication” that you have to practice every day to reap benefits. You also don’t have to consistently practice in the same way—it’s better to build it into your existing lifestyle for ease of access. Some days, you may sit through a full guided meditation, and other days, you might eat a piece of fruit in a mindful way, Dr. Gibson suggests.
In short, everyone has to find a mindfulness routine that works for them. “There’s no one right way for a given person,” says Dr. Gibson. “I recommend experimenting in a playful way and noticing any improvements to your quality of life.” Loucks adds that it’s a good idea to consider practicing during the time of day when you feel your best—be it morning, midday, or night.
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