Mindfulness: Attention Training

This source provides a description of the pedagogical revolution that is occurring in our universities regarding mindfulness. University curriculums are now being implemented with mindfulness. This will for a greater dissemination of mindfulness and I want to discuss this specifically in my

Based on the evidence, mindfulness could be expanded to be included in teaching individuals not only intrapersonal skills but also the

This paper is about my experience with mindfulness based meditation and scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is describes as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). The end goal is to sustain this meta-cognitive state for a long period of time. I practiced non-denominational form of mindfulness based meditation for the first time in my psychology class, which was devoted towards intellectual and experiential examination of meditation. The practice was conducted in a group it was instructed by our own professor and it begun at the end of class. There was one sessions per week and each session was structured meaning it was

Mindfulness is an incredible skill, it is a practice that is taking the world by storm and helping more and more people live in their present.

While mindfulness practice is relatively new in education, a magnitude of research has overwhelming demonstrated how psychological wellbeing impacts educational outcomes. Specifically, research has revealed that negative environments and feelings can lead to decreases in academic performance and achievement (Singh et al., 2007). Examining mindfulness practice is important because it relies on principles to improve emotional regulation, attention awareness, and learning focus. It is practical to assume that enhancement in these areas will lead to a variety of classroom benefits. In addition to educational benefits, the student and teacher will obtain personal growth as their psychological capacity will be increased. Ultimately, the program is being proposed for schools as it promotes emotional and social skill development, which will subsequently enhance teaching and learning outcomes. The significance of the program is based on evidence that indicates children and youth

The second stated “long-term meditators would show superior performance to short-term meditators”. And the third stated “concentrative meditators would be more subject to expectancy effects…mindfulness meditators would show superior performance relative to concentrative meditators when the stimulus was unexpected” (Valentine & Sweet, 1999, p. 63). Using the Wilkins’ Counting Test (a measure of sustained focused attention) the control group was placed in a classroom to perform the test while the meditation groups were tested post meditation sessions in a separate room. The test was comprised of a series of tones which each group was asked to count (the meditation groups were told there would be three rather than two sets). The results confirmed the three hypotheses, overall concurring the use of meditation leads to improved concentration with little difference between concentrative and mindfulness meditation (Valentine & Sweets, 1999).

There is increased interest toward mindfulness meditation, particularly in education. A number of school programs have emerged claiming improvements in the following areas: executive functions, prosociality, emotional regulation, and overall wellbeing (Broderick and Frank, 2014; Flook et al. 2010; Schonert-Reichl and Lawlor, 2010). Oddly, very few risks were reported in the studies. In a systematic review of twenty-four mindfulness-based school interventions, overall results show students either benefited from the interventions or gained no effect. Negligible negative effects were reported (Zenner, Herrnleben-Kurz and Walach, 2014). It is important to consider the identification and detection of undesirable outcomes, as well

The assumption is drawn by the idea that teachers play a major role in the environment that is created for learning. The article suggests the alleviation of stress and burden on teachers will prove to be better learning conditions for children. The research aims to determine whether a longer period of mindfulness training creates a substantial difference in the behaviors of the students.

Mindfulness is a yoga practiced used to self-assess for awareness in the present moment (Leland, 2015) When practiced in the moment, mindfulness has been shown to reduce the negative effects of excessive worry, in the moment, and self-doubt (Jennings & Jennings, 2013). Mindfulness is an important component of Eastern religions but has been used in schools to help students increase their awareness of their focus and anxieties in an attempt to overcome them. In the classroom, the purpose of mindfulness is not an attempt to permanently move mountains, but rather to find a way around the stumbling block in the mental path.

Mindfulness, in particular, is associated with perspective taking and empathetic responding, relatedness and interpersonal closeness, and emotional communication, and anger management. Therefore, mindfulness may help a teacher be more responsive to individual students. Teaching is an extremely emotionally-demanding profession. Fortunately, studies show that mindfulness-based interventions may promote resilience and reduce the emotional exhaustion that precedes burnout. This can help teachers promote their own sense of well being and self care, in turn maintaining their care and compassion for their students.

The Buddhist principles of mental training and well-being assert that cognitive flexibility can be nurtured by building on improved attentional abilities which are initially trained and cultivated (Wallace & Shapiro, 2006). Moore and Malinowski’s (2009) study did not asses the levels of well-being in the participants, however, the data collected sufficiently corroborated the mental balance model as a positive correlation was established between the practice of meditation, mindfulness, and cognitive flexibility. The data collected within the reviewed article, concluded that the practice of meditation improves mindfulness skills, having a positive effect on attention and cognition. The article supported previous research by corroborating that, to foster mindfulness, attention needs to work collectively with a non-judgmental attitude towards individual experiences. This paper has outlined the elements discerned within Moore and Malinowski’s (2009) article, ‘Meditation, mindfulness, and cognitive flexibility’, and discussed the study’s strengths and

Before considering how mindfulness relates to task performance in organizational and occupational settings, it is worth observing that previous research points to a variety of non– task performance outcomes of mindfulness. For example, evidence indicates that mindfulness enables individuals to effectively cope with a range of experiences, including those associated with strong emotions or physical pain Mindfulness has also been shown to reduce depression and anxiety and enhance vitality .Although issues involving the physical and mental health of organizational members are important, from a managerial perspective they are perhaps not as foremost a concern as performance-related outcomes. Yet, as noted, there has been little scholarly investigation

More and more organizations according to the literature, are beginning to cultivate mindfulness in the workplace. Aetna is one of the organizations researched who have not only implemented mindfulness practices in the workplace but have also developed two mindfulness programs and produced measurable

Studies reveal that success or failure in the performance of students in school is anchored on the students embracing the school culture. The manner in which students carry themselves is greatly influenced by the customs and competencies of their teachers. The wholesome development of the student cannot be separated with the prevailing environment at the institution of learning (Velki, 2016). This paper is a summary of an intuition of how educational leaders try to reclaim wholeness by exploring mindfulness. In a detailed account by the educational leaders, we get an insight on how they were able to incorporate mindfulness in their grueling careers and influence the success of their careers in impacting on the school culture and in turn improving the output of their students.

It is very interesting that in this chapter, Siegel, Germer, and Olendzki (2009) layout the common misunderstandings of mindfulness which are critical when mindfulness becomes a trend in not only psychotherapy, but also daily life currently. The authors list the common misconceptions of mindfulness, including: (1) having a