Previous research on mindfulness meditation has shown that it aids inlowering blood pressure, improvesimmune systemandbrainfunction andminimizes pain sensitivity. A new review of past literature on mindfulness now breaks down what exactly it is about the practice that seems to have these beneficial effects.
Researchers definedmindfulnessas "the nonjudgmental awareness of experiences in the present moment" in thePerspectives on Psychological Sciencestudy. They identified the four acting components ofmindfulness meditation: regulation of attention, body awareness, self-awareness and regulation of emotion.
Each of these elements helps us indifferent aspects of our lives, according to the study. For example, regulation of attention may help us be extra-aware of our bodily state. And by being aware of our bodies, we are able to recognize the emotions we are currently experiencing, researchers said.
The findings "unveil the conceptual and mechanistic complexity of mindfulness, providing the 'big picture' by arranging many findings like the pieces of a mosaic," study researcher Britta Holzel, of Justus Liebig University and Harvard Medical School, said in a statement.
Previous research from Holzel has shown that mindfulness meditation can actuallychange the structure of the brain, especially in the brain regions responsible for sense of self, stress, memory and empathy.
In that study, published earlier this year in the journalPsychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, researchers looked at brain images of 16 people who participated in an eight-week mindfulness stress reduction program.
For tips on using mindfulness in your day-to-day life, check outthis blog postfrom HuffPost blogger Dennis Merritt Jones. And forfascinating facts about meditation, click through this slideshow:
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