When was the last time you did nothing? By this, I mean absolutely nothing — no texting, emailing, eating, talking or even listening to music. I mean being present in the moment, focusing on nothing other than your breathing, your body, the presence of silence, the sounds of birds chirping outside or the ticking of a clock in a room.
“Our minds are constantly running, developing their own stories and scripts,” Jonathan Borella said. “And they will continue to do so if we don’t remind ourselves to rest and be fully present. Mindfulness is a state of awareness achieved only through our focus and relaxed attention.”
Borella should know — he has studied and practiced the art of mindfulness for several years and hosts mindful meditation workshops of his own. I attended one of these workshops: “Mindfulness and Men’s Health,” as part of the University of Oregon Men’s Center. For 20 minutes, we sat and focused on our breath — in and out — while he read aloud Buddhist verses. If our attention ever wandered from the moment (as it certainly did for me), our focus was led back to our breath with the sound of a bell he played every couple minutes.
According to Borella, it’s this kind of focus that makes us more mindful. With so much going on in our lives and so many opportunities for distraction, it can be difficult to be truly present and lead our lives without taking a moment to step back and appreciate the complexity — yet simplicity — of just being alive.
Even after only one session of practicing mindful meditation, I noticed I immediately felt more aware of myself and my surroundings. During those twenty minutes, I heard sounds I might not have noticed otherwise — the conversation of a passerby or the ticking of a clock — and appreciated the silence enveloping me. I felt relaxed, aware and appreciative.
According to UO assistant professor of psychology Elliot Berkman, my positive experience with mindful meditation isn’t too surprising. He researches the effects that practicing mindfulness has on the brain; and, in short, they aren’t insignificant.
“Mindful meditation has been validated by clinicians as a way to reduce stress and promote well-being,” he said. “By the use of neuroimaging studies, we have located the brain systems involved in mindfulness and actually seen the effects it has on the brain. Even only after eight weeks of practicing mindfulness, we can see significant changes — such as decreased depression and blood pressure.”
In his most recent study on mindfulness, the brains of parents who had practiced mindfulness for eight weeks were studied. These fathers and mothers to teenagers hoped to improve their relationships with their children through the practice. And many did. After only eight weeks of mindful meditation, he saw the changes in brain activity, and these changes were directly correlated to the amount of improvement they experienced in their relationships with their children. The brains of those whose teenagers had reported a more non-judgmental, attentive parent after the eight-week session showed more change in brain activity.
Being mindful and present in our day-to-day lives isn’t easy, but it can be achieved. Through practice, we can become more so with ourselves and in our relationships through focused attention and awareness.
“Mindfulness is about listening — truly listening — without letting distractions steer us away,” Borella said. “Just taking moments throughout the day to practice mindfulness brings us to a more aware state of being — with ourselves and with others. It is only then that we can truly appreciate the gift of life.”