
Benefits of Mindfulness (Based on Scientific Research)
Physical
• Increases our resistance to infection by strengthening the immune system and increasing killer T cells
• Decreases heart rate and lowers blood pressure
• Increases grey matter in regions of the brain that regulate emotions
• Reduces the production of cortisol and other stress hormones
• Pain reduction in those who have chronic pain
Mental, Emotional, Relational
• Stress reduction
• Increases positive mood states and overall sense of well-being
• Emotional and sensory integration
• Increase ability to consciously control emotions, attention, cognition, and behavior
• Increases creativity, flow and integration
• Increases the capacity to access intuition; a deep sense of knowing that isn’t logical but has truth and authenticity
• Integrates differentiated parts of the brain and mind (somatic, social, emotional, memory, planning), giving an experience of flow, fluidity, balance, and cohesion in thinking, feeling and behavior
• Improves memory
• Increases our capacity for compassion and empathy with ourselves and with others
• Increases our ability to reduce fear
• Cultivates a deep sense of social good
Attention
• Increases alerting ability or our readiness to pay attention as well as our open awareness
• Improves orienting attention:: ability holding your attention on what you intend to pay attention to.
• Strengthens conflict-based attention: our ability to inhibit intruding information