Mindfulness
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Jon Kabat-Zinn
University life can be marked by some academic, interpersonal and personal difficulties.
The stimulus coming from all sides, overload the body, the mind, interfere with the ability to think and establish priorities and the stimulus-response mechanism seems to be the only possibility of reaction.
Perhaps it is time to turn off the automatic pilot of reactions and reflect on practices that have evolved over the centuries, helping in the process of self-knowledge, goal setting and improvement in quality of life, in a natural way.
Advances in neuroscience research have shown that meditation can be beneficial to physical and mental health, contributing significantly to improve the quality of life.
More than just a set of techniques applied at a certain time of the day, meditation is what happens in life the moment we focus and connect with the breath, with the present, with the body dynamics.
The concept of mindfulness basically consists of maintaining attention in the present moment, in intention and without judgment. It is the ability to be awake and increase attention in the constant flow of the lived experience.
The subjective experience of meditation can be reflected in different ways, with a predominance of cognitive and emotional benefits and can be a tool for healthy psychological development.
Being awake increases the commitment to the present moment and allows for a better clarity of how thoughts and emotions can impact health and quality of life.
Meditation can thus play a decisive role in academic life but also in personal life, because by getting to know each other better, we can analyze everything around us, in a more comprehensive way.
Benefits of meditation for students:
Improves concentration – Provides concentration learning, reading theoretical texts or avoiding distractions during classes. During meditation, the areas of the brain responsible for memory and attention, become deeper, helping the student to record what they read, hear and see.
Improves quality of life – According to studies by Harvard and MIT universities, meditation reduces anxiety, heart rate and, consequently, blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, increasing the immune resistance of its practitioners.
Helps reduce stress – The pressure that students deal with daily deadlines and college pressures can result in an accumulation of stress. Studies at the University of California have shown that meditation helps to produce less cortisol and to produce more endorphin – known as the hormone of happiness.
Improves quality of sleep – Meditation can act to relax the mind, creating a greater amount of neural connections, allowing the student to sleep more and better, thus reflecting on the increase in the quality of the study.
Increases creativity – Meditation makes the student feel internally free, eliminating inhibitions, rigidity, concepts of the mind and all barriers in communicating with others. Perception, observation and expression are three aspects that are essential to creativity and can flourish in meditation.
