Sitting back, getting comfortable and concentrating on the breathing patterns of your own body is how some people use mindfulness meditation to focus.
By taking a step back and learning the art of paying attention to the now, people learn from mindfulness meditation to deal more effectively with many aspects of everyday life, including stress, said David Creswell, a research scientist at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA.
In recent years, the practice of becoming more mindful and tuning in to ones internal experiences has gained scientific momentum. Multiple research studies have confirmed its beneficial effects in boosting the immune system and thickening brain areas in charge of decision-making and emotion regulation.
A new study recently found initial evidence for mindfulness meditation delaying the progression of HIV, the immune system destroying virus that causes AIDS.
Mindfulness meditation seems to prevent HIV progression by reducing stress and strengthening the immune system of HIV positive adults, said Creswell, the study’s lead author.
“This study provides the first indication that mindfulness meditation stress-management training can have a direct impact on slowing HIV disease progression,” Creswell said.
By conducting an eight-week mindfulness meditation stress-management training program, it was found that those who completed the training had more CD-4 T cells compared to those who did not.
These CD-4 T cells are attacked by HIV, leading to the decline of the immune system. Through mindfulness training during the recent study, these cells were protected by the stress-relieving effects of the meditation and the progression of the disease was slowed.
To further investigate the scientific backbone of the meditative practices of becoming mindfully aware, Creswell and his colleagues are now beginning to investigate the brain. This will be done using brain-imaging techniques to study the specific pathways that are being impacted by the awareness meditation. This meditative state, however, takes practice to achieve. It is usually when a person becomes increasingly aware and tune in to their breathing, the mind and body begin to connect, said Diana Winston, director of Mindfulness Education at the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA.
It is at that connection when most people report becoming more aware of where and what they are in the present moment, rather than racing with thoughts about the past and future as most people in contemporary society are prone to doing, she added.
“In our program, we teach people how to apply mindfulness to emotions and become less reactive,” said Winston, who is also an instructor of mindful awareness practices for daily living. “People are always reacting, but this teaches them to be more aware in the process, as well as become more mindful when speaking and listening to others.”
Mindful awareness meditation is not a new idea and has been around for centuries, but it was in recent years that its therapeutic potential has been demonstrated scientifically, Winston said.
In addition, it is easy enough for individuals to implement in their daily living and can be done anytime, anywhere, Winston added.
“As our culture gets increasingly sped up and people become overwhelmed by information, media and responsibilities, people are now looking for ways to counteract all of that,” Winston said.
The research center at UCLA offers people from all around the community to participate in mindfulness, take classes, attend lectures and attend day long retreats, Winston said.
The classes start off teaching students the basics of mindfulness and then move on to specific issues of how it can be applied to daily living, Winston added.
It is all about returning and living in the present moment, said Christina Gonerko, fourth-year cultural anthropology student and MARC volunteer. Gonerko attends the classes offered at UCLA for mindfulness, conducted in a special area called C-Space, located in the heart of the UCLA Semel Institute.
The classes open and close with meditations ranging from those concentrating on breathing, eating or walking.
“It teaches you to do what your body is doing now,” Gonerko said. “It is the aligning of the mind with the body, whether you are eating, tasting food or talking to a friend.”
Winston said the purpose of these classes and mindfulness meditation is for students to incorporate it into their everyday lives to help them deal with physical pain, difficult emotions or other challenges.
“Mindfulness for me is about actively being in the moment and begin to monitor self with kindness in order to become less reactive,” said Susan Sims, executive officer of UCLA Summer Sessions and Special Programs. Sims is also a student and volunteer at MARC and enjoys the atmosphere created by the center, with the Japanese lanterns, green plants and soft music.
Although it is relaxing, mindfulness is not an easy state to come by, especially when it must be applied in everyday life.
“We have to practice and try to be mindful at all times; it is suggested that we meditate for 20 minutes four to five times a week,” Sims said.
The actual meditations done in the weekly class largely stem from focusing on one’s breathing and also addressing issues that interest each particular class, Sims added.
“The instructor would pick specific emotions like depression, anxiety and anger and talk about establishing equanimity through becoming mindful of the emotion itself,” Sims said.
Individuals involved in the classes and workshops for mindfulness offered at UCLA all had the same root reaction to the practice of the meditation: They felt it had transformed their lives.
Winston said mindfulness and the long-term effects have not yet been sufficiently studied since the area is relatively new to science and modern society.
However, Winston believes that mindfulness is a developing phenomenon that is going to grow more in years to come.
“Mindfulness will be like the introduction of seat belts in cars; at first no one thought they were important and now they are a safety requirement,” Winston said. “Mindfulness may become the seat belt of mental health and one day it will be taught in schools for all people to practice.”