Why Take A Mindfulness Meditation Course?

I recently finished an 8-week mindfulness meditation course. I went into it not knowing why I was there, other than the fact that my doctor had recommended it. I went in not knowing what the outcome was supposed to be. When we were asked to write goals for the course, mine were blank. I had none. I really just wanted to see if there was any benefit to all this mindfulness meditation stuff.

Turns out, I believe that there is benefit in mindfulness meditation. And here’s some of what you might find in a course.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is a form of meditation that focuses in being in the here and now, without judgement. It focuses on a life outside of the past and the present, just for a little while. It focuses on techniques like deep breathing, scanning the body for tension, relaxation and thoughts of intention. It’s really not that complicated, actually. You simply sit and focus on the now (this is considerably harder for some than for others). And, as I've said, you don't have to have a quiet mind to meditate.

By the end of the course, meditations lasted almost an hour (you start with only 10 minutes) and ended in a process of metta. This process is about loving kindness towards yourself and towards others. (I’m honestly not sure of the actual point of this is as I’m not sure that sitting around thinking kind thoughts has any tangible benefit, but it’s part of the ritual we were taught.)

Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

The benefits of mindfulness meditation have been shown in multiple areas of mental health, particularly to do with anxiety. And, if the group I was in is any indication, there is some truth to that. The people who were suffering from anxiety at the start of the course reported feeling less so by the end. I was honestly shocked at how well it worked for some people. People not only experienced less anxiety while meditating but they found that a sense of mindfulness and a reduction of anxiety seeped into other areas of their lives as well.

It was a similar story with stress. People reported fewer feelings of all manors of stress at the end of the course. (Now, I should say, the course also included many additional exercises outside of just meditation that were designed to transform a lifestyle. The people who experienced benefit didn’t just do so magically, they actually worked at the exercises.)

For me, personally, I do find that meditation is calming on a very deep level. When I complete a meditation, my mind is clear and it feels like my nervous system has come down a peg. This relaxation isn’t happiness per se, but there is a sense of satisfaction that accompanies it. Now, this feeling doesn’t last forever, and, unlike others, I don’t find that it’s permeated my life, but it does exist, and, in my mind, is worth achieving.

Additionally, a calmer mind seems to allow space for things I have forgotten or for things I need to do. Things seem less overwhelming afterwards. The anxiety and stress is, in fact, decreased.

And the downside of meditating? I can’t think of one. You do need time and space to do it and mindfulness does take some degree of effort, but that’s about it in terms of downsides.

So, long story short, you could experience positive benefits from mindfulness meditation and I consider the eight weeks a good investment of time and effort. That’s just me, of course, but the lack of side effects should at least persuade you to give it a try.

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