My yogi job was a different story. Alone and armed with a pair of disposable blue gloves, I tried to bring a mindful approach to my task. Following laminated instructions, I focused on the sounds as I scrubbed the toilets, sinks and showers. I mopped the floors, noticing the motion of my arms and being mindful not to bang the mop into the sink legs.

Every chance I got, I went outdoors. During my walks, I had an eye-to-eye exchange with an owl, watched a large beaver leave a frozen pond to cross a road, and marveled at iced-over berries that hung like marbles. I wished I could capture these encounters with my camera-ready phone but captured them in my mind instead.

Sitting at meals not speaking, reading, scrolling or watching a screen was a true exercise in being in the present moment. Moving through the buffet line, I piled my plate high with the flavorful vegetarian food, expressed my gratitude (silently!), and counted how many colors were on my plate. My best entertainment: an exquisitely placed bird feeder outside the dining hall windows. Every meal provided an all-out war between squirrels and birds.

With all the stillness, many of us yearned for distraction. A large white board sat outside the office, displaying the group meeting schedules, locations for daily affinity sits and folded up notes from a yogi to a teacher. We had been told to provide a family member with the front office number, and in case of emergency, a message would be posted on the white board. As though breaking news might come in hourly, a crowd built in front of the board every time we exited the meditation hall.

By the end of the week, while the days had taken on a tranquil, rhythmic pace, I was ready to go home. I missed my family, and knowing what was happening in the world. The daily routine was growing monotonous. On my final day scrubbing toilets, I gleefully tossed those blue gloves into the garbage bin.

Did a week of silence change my life? I hadnt come on retreat in search of that kind of epiphany (I have a therapist for that). I came rather seeking an adventure, and a deeper knowledge of the power of meditation that only extended time can give. The week had given me a sort of spalike experience for my mind, protected from the distractions and stressors of daily life.

For Jo, the retreat brought a deeper insight about meditations purpose. On retreat, I learned that the point is not to lose yourself, which is more relaxing, but to find yourself, and that was harder work in a good way.

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My Week of Noble Silence - The New York Times

TORONTO , Dec. 9, 2019 /CNW/ - In a unique and ground-breaking partnership,McMasterUniversity Continuing Education and Hoame Meditation are thrilled to presentMindfulness in Modern Society, an online certificate of completion program.

This program is one of the first online offerings through a post-secondary institution, and will provide a comprehensive overview of the history and origins of mindfulness, foundational philosophies of mindfulness and the proven scientific benefits of a mindful practice. Each course will explore modern and clinical applications of this ancient practice, exploring the current societal shift into living more mindfully and how one can apply all of these learnings into their personal and professional lives.

There are no prerequisites for this program and we encourage anyone interested in learning more about mindfulness to enroll. The applications of this type of certificate are numerous.

Research has shown that mindfulness can lead to more effective leadership, so those in managerial roles will particularly benefit. Similarly, mindfulness has been shown to be particularly powerful in boosting creativity and focus, making it a great fit for those in the creative and tech sectors. Additionally, individuals working with people in a clinical and educational capacity such as psychotherapists, social workers, counsellors, educators, nurses, doctors and allied health professionals will find this valuable.

There are two Certificate of Completion streams to choose from:

Take 3 of 5 courses Earn Fundamentals of Mindfulness, Certificate of Completion

Take all 5 courses Earn theAdvanced Principles and Practice of Mindfulness, Certificate of Completion.

Hoame is North America's largest modern meditation studio, and the only meditation studio created by two master's level mental health clinicians. Hoame has garnered over 150 million media impressions and over 15 thousand community members since inception in September 2018. Hoame has established itself as a leader in health and wellness and a pioneer in bringing cutting edge and innovative wellness practices to Toronto. Hoame, and its co-founders Carolyn Plater MSW, RSW and Stephanie Kersta MSc, RP have disrupted the status quo of corporate education offerings, bringing modern and inventive programs and trainings to major organizations in Toronto. As mental health, mindfulness, and sleep experts, Stephanie and Carolyn are thrilled to be taking education global with this partnership with McMaster.

As mental health continues to become a priority in the Canadian workplace, and with depression estimated to be the second leading cause of workplace disability in 2020, corporate emphasis on mental health in the workplace is now a necessity. Furthermore, with 1 in 3 adults citing sleep difficulties, and the impact of insomnia and restless nights on corporate output, corporations who invest in their employees' health and well-being are seeing positive impacts on the bottom line, as well as in an improved corporate culture and climate.

Carolyn and Stephanie have worked with leading Fortune 500 companies and their expertise is consistently sought out for print, radio, television and podcast media.

Hoame and McMaster University (CNW Group/Hoame)

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Hoame Meditation Partners with top Canadian University on Groundbreaking Online Mindfulness Program. - Yahoo Finance

A new study found that patients with coronary heart disease who included Transcendental Meditation with their cardiac rehabilitation increased blood flow to the heart by more than 20 percent.

The pilot study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in collaboration with the Institute for Prevention Research, included 56 patients who had coronary heart disease, including a recent heart attack, coronary artery bypass, or angina.

This was the first study to show that the cardiovascular benefits of lifestyle modification, such as structured exercise and dietary counseling, may be enhanced by adding Transcendental Meditation in patients with heart disease, said Robert Schneider, M..D, F.A.C.C., co-director of the study and medical director of the Institute for Prevention Research. It also found that the Transcendental Meditation technique alone was able to reverse the effects of coronary heart disease assessed by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.

For the study, the researchers randomly divided the subjects into four groups: cardiac rehabilitation, Transcendental Meditation, Transcendental Meditation plus cardiac rehabilitation, or usual care.

The studys findings showed that of the 37 patients who completed post-testing, myocardial blood flow increased by 20.7 percent in the group that did both Transcendental Meditation and cardiac rehabilitation. Blood flow in the group that practiced Transcendental Meditation alone increased 12.8 percent. Cardiac rehabilitation by itself showed an improvement of 5.8 percent. And patients who received the usual treatment showed a decrease in blood flow of -10.3 percent.

Although this is a preliminary study, it suggests that managing ones mind-body connection with Transcendental Meditation can improve the function of the heart in cardiovascular patients, said Schneider, who is also dean of Maharishi University of Managements College of Integrative Medicine.

He said that psychosocial stress is known to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease, but that stress reduction therapies arent usually included in cardiac rehabilitation.

More research needs to be done, but this study and previous research strongly suggest that medical professionals should consider utilizing this simple yet effective mind-body intervention in their heart health treatment and prevention programs, Schneider said.

While its not known precisely how Transcendental Meditation would increase blood flow, the researchers speculate that its a result of improved endothelial-mediated coronary and arteriolar vasomotor function. They explain that reduced levels of stress hormones and possibly inflammation may result in improved function of the endothelial cells that line the coronary arteries.

While the study suggests that the Transcendental Meditation technique can increase blood flow in cardiovascular patients, the researchers say that carefully conducted clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the benefit.

This was a first pilot study designed to determine the size of the effect and feasibility, Schneider said. Of the 56 original subjects, only 37 were available for the final post testing of blood flow after the 12-week study period. In addition, compliance with cardiac rehabilitation was average, with attendance at exercise sessions about 60 percent. Also, the subjects practicing Transcendental Meditation may have received more attention than the rehabilitation group. This initial study paves the way for full-scale clinical trials that will more rigorously evaluate these effects.

The study was published in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology.

Source: Maharishi University of Management

Photo: Cardiac PET scan machine used in the cardiac rehabilitation study with and without TM at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Credit: Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

APA Reference Wood, J. (2019). Transcendental Meditation with Cardiac Rehab Can Increases Blood Flow to Heart. Psych Central. Retrieved on December 9, 2019, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2019/12/07/transcendental-meditation-with-cardiac-rehab-can-increases-blood-flow-to-heart/152415.html

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Transcendental Meditation with Cardiac Rehab Can Increases Blood Flow to Heart - PsychCentral.com

Josh Radnor attends the NY Premiere of NBCs Rise on March 7, 2018 in New York City. Andy Kropa/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Nothing like Ted Mosby! Unlike the lovesick character he played on How I Met Your Mother, Josh Radnor would rather be meditating on New Years Eve than focusing on his midnight kiss.

The actor dished to Us Weekly exclusively about his holiday plans this year at the New York Stage and Film 2019 Winter Gala at The Ziegfeld on Sunday, December 8, but they might not involve a romantic partner.

Radnor, 45, dodged questions about his love life and instead told Us about his New Years Eve tradition of meditating as the year changes.

Ive been having very low key New Years for the last couple of years. I havent been to big parties and stuff, the Liberal Arts actor told Us. But Ive gotten together with some friends, andfor the last couple of years, Ive meditated from 11:45 to 12:15.

So what sort of meditation does the group do? Whatever they feel like, the Ohio native explains, noting that its powerful to both end one year and begin another in meditation.

Just close your eyes for ahalf hour, he told Us. Its fun causehalf way throughyour meditation you hear the neighborhood kind of explode so at midnight youre like, I have fifteen more minutes to go, and so thats how that works.

Radnors New Years resolutions arent set in stone just yet since the Rise star says hes always making resolutions to stop eating this and start running that. However, he and bandmate Ben Lee will be putting out their next album in 2020, so the actor will focus on songwriting for Radnor Lee come January.

Though Radnor wouldnt open up about who if anyone hes spending the holidays with, he was last publicly linked to actress Minka Kelly. Us confirmed in December 2016 that the former couple were dating just three months after Kellys split from Wilmer Valderrama. The Friday Night Lights alum, 39, and Radnor called it quits in February 2017.

Kelly was previously linked to Derek Jeter and Chris Evans, while Radnor, for his part, has been linked to Marisa Tomei, Julia Jones and Lindsay Price.

With reporting by Paris Hampton

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Why Josh Radnor Spends New Years Eve Meditating Instead of Partying - Us Weekly

In our lives, we experience a lot of turmoil and unpleasant reactions to our equilibrium. Sometimes, we are not in control of the things around us and what happens to us; as a balance of faith and probability, our lives are essentially dictated by a roll of dice. However, through a patient, focused epicentre, we can enhance our experience on earth by utilizing more of our active brain, creativity, and consciousness. I sat down at The DoubleTree in Eatontown, NJ to discuss mindful meditation tips, tricks, techniques, and mandates of practice with an entrepreneurial entertainer, Famous Joe. Best known for his Instagram antics, Famous Joe revealed to me in a group yoga session his mnemonic devices toward reaching a state of premeditated peace.

For more meditative tips, tricks, and techniques, follow @iamjackdylan & @_famousjoe on Instagram.

Written by Jack Dylan Cohen for ThriveGlobal

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Famous Joe's Top 3 Tips To Mindful Meditation by Jack Dylan Cohen - Thrive Global

Oh, yes, I thought. I am generous of spirit. Annoying Chewer, I shine my divine light on your mouth and declare that I no longer care.

Now, the guru said, think of a tragedy that just happened. And direct all of your gratitude and energy toward the people suffering there.

And with that, my mind swung back to the present, the rubber mats and too-tight workout gear. If I had suffered a terrible tragedy, the last thing Id want from suburbanites in an overpriced gym was good vibes and inner light.

Then again, Ive always been a meditation skeptic. I like yoga, but Im not sure if I like like it or I just think it sounds easier than spinning. I resist forest baths and Gwyneth Paltrows Goop brand and anything that smacks of wellness. I know people who have come back from silent retreats and gushed about their unlocked minds. Id rather have a root canal, administered by a shark wearing a clown suit, than spend a full weekend with nothing but my thoughts.

But in these days of wellness obsession, its hard to ignore the siren call: the ads for mindfulness classes, the piled-up testimonials. Oprah says mindfulness gives her contentment and joy. A World Economic Forum blogger says mindfulness can make you more focused, more creative, more emotionally intelligent, a better performer at work.

Whether thats all true is an open question. The National Institutes of Health compiled studies about meditations effect on a range of health conditions; in general, theyre promising but inconclusive. Still, more and more people are training their minds. An NIH survey found that 14.2 percent of American adults meditated at least once in 2017, compared with 4.1 percent in 2010. Its a sign of the persuasive powers of Gwyneth and Oprah, perhaps, or of something more depressing: Were spending so much downtime mindlessly reading our social media feeds weve lost the capacity to silently sit and exist.

Now, it seems, our phones are here to save us from ourselves. There are hundreds of mindfulness apps out there, pledging to train our minds into submission. In the spirit of open-mindedness, I decided to download a few: Headspace, Insight Timer, Smiling Mind. (All are free, but have premium versions they aggressively try to sell you.) They feature vast libraries of guided meditations, voices talking slowly over calming background music. The narrators mostly seem to be Australian.

Before each meditation, Smiling Mind asked me to rate my state of mind with toggle switches: How happy are you? How content? How aware? It started to stress me out, so I chose a sleep meditation, based on the idea that gratitude will help you settle down. Its almost impossible to experience gratitude and anger or fear simultaneously, an Australian man said slowly in my ear as I lay in bed. Really? Some days, that perfectly describes my relationship with my mother.

Headspaces intro to meditation course was full of primer videos, in which an adorable cartoon brain with legs encounters helpful metaphors. Meditation, I learned, is like watching traffic go by in your mind. Its like watching the clouds drift past, and ignoring the dark ones. Like training a wild horse to accept a rope.

And, according to the Australian woman who narrates the audio clips, its something you can learn in a series of easy three-minute sessions. Sit in a chair. Breathe. Think about breathing. Be aware of your thoughts as they come and go. Be present. Repeat.

It was so easy that I wanted to binge, like popcorn. In the quiet spaces, my mind wandered to commercial possibilities. What if you combined a silent retreat with a book club? I earned attaboys from the appYou have a three-day streak!plus pop-up notifications. Want to get away from your family? the app asked me over Thanksgivingand I have to admit, I liked having a reason to escape upstairs and listen to an Australian woman remind me how to breathe.

Still, as she encourages me to keep going, reminding me how much work it takes to tame my mind, I wonder: Am I really all that anxious? People struggling with health or grief can surely use presence and breathing techniques. The Thai soccer players used meditation, in 2018, to cope with being trapped in a cave. But many of us new practitioners have ample food and shelter, plus gym memberships. Life is stressful, surewith taxes and carpools and impeachment hearingsbut so much that were unable to function, or relax, without the help of a calming Australian voice?

Decades ago, marketers renamed bad breath halitosis, branding it a condition that demanded we rush out and buy Listerine. Sometimes, I wonder if our supposed mindfulness deficit is more of the same. Its not that we couldnt all use a few moments of hyper-awareness, but we dont necessarily need an industry around itat least not in those circles where people have the money and time for a wellness culture. Aside from annoying chewers, things are actually going OK. If Im mindful of that, will it make a difference?

________

Joanna Weiss is editor-in-chief of Experience magazine. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.

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Would you mind being mindfully mindful? - The Boston Globe

New scientific research published in the journal Memory & Cognition provides evidence that a brief mindfulness meditation exercise can enhance verbal learning.

A number of studies have shown that mindfulness can improve cognitive abilities, including certain verbal abilities. However, little research has examined how mindfulness can affect verbal learning and memory. Furthermore, no research has examined the mechanism by which mindfulness may improve learning and memory, said study author Adam Lueke, an assistant teaching professor at Ball State University.

We reasoned that, since mindfulness often works to quiet down thoughts which may occupy phonological loop resources, then it should be able to improve the learning of new verbal information, likely by allowing information to be better absorbed through the encoding process of memory.

For their study, the researchers randomly assigned 142 undergraduate university students to one of two groups. One group listened to a 10-minute mindfulness meditation audio tape while the other group listened to a 10-minute audio tape that described an English countryside.

The participants completed four neuropsychological tests: the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test, the Trail Making Test, and the Color-Word Interference Test.

The researchers found that the mindfulness exercise increased verbal learning and memory encoding capabilities despite not improving general attention abilities or general verbal fluency. In other words, participants who listened to the 10-minute mindfulness exercise tended to be better at recalling newly learned words but they were not any better at retrieving verbal material stored in long-term memory.

The average reader can take away the fact that mindfulness seems likely to improve their ability to learn new verbal information and then be able to remember it later. Most of the information we rely on for school, work, and social situations is verbal in nature, Lueke told PsyPost.

Mindfulness can potentially make studying more efficient, can help you retain and utilize important information in your work, or even help remember something as simple as a persons name or a story they shared with you. In essence, the ability of mindfulness to improve learning and memory can help improve peoples lives in myriad ways.

The study like all research includes some caveats.

We found that a brief mindfulness meditation of 10 minutes can have these benefits soon after the meditation for novices. We do not know how long this effect lasts. It could be that this effect wears off rather quickly, thus not allowing improved verbal learning and memory throughout the day. It is important to see how long this effect lasts within novices, Lueke explained.

Likewise, it is important to see if long-term meditators receive this benefit as well, perhaps throughout their day without needing to have just meditated. Additionally, we still do not know how mindfulness may affect visual learning and memory. It is possible that mindfulness is particularly good for verbal but not visual information.

We are currently conducting research to determine if this is the case, or if mindfulness also helps improve visual information. Also, we do not know how mindfulness may help people with memory impairments it is possible that mindfulness may be unable to help these people due to the nature of their ailment, Lueke said.

Despite the limitations, the findings are mostly in line with previous research. For instance, a 2013 study found that college students who were randomly assigned to attend a mindfulness class scored higher on a working memory test and the verbal reasoning section of the GRE compared to students who attended a nutrition class.

The ability to learn new information and remember it for later use is a vital process that allows us to interact efficiently with our world and other people. Enhancing this ability can help us gain better mastery over our lives and our environment by giving us more information at our disposal to make better, more informed decisions, and to be better able to relate to other people, Lueke said.

The fact that mindfulness can help with this after only 10 minutes is an important finding that people can use in their everyday lives when they know they will need to rely on these abilities. Big test coming up? Got a presentation for work? Know youll be meeting new people and want to remember things about them in order to make a connection? Then perhaps spending a little time to meditate beforehand can help you accomplish your goals.

The study, Mindfulness improves verbal learning and memory through enhanced encoding, was authored by Adam Lueke and Niloufar Lueke.

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Just 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation can improve verbal learning and memory processes, study finds - PsyPost

Only those in darkness can see a great light.

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness

on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2-)

Only those who are burdened, who have felt the bar and the rod, who have been oppressed, can rejoice.

For the yoke of their burden,

and the bar across their shoulders,

the rod of their oppressor,

you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Only those who have felt the boots, the tramping, whose garments have been bloodied can rejoice in the burning of warriors boots.

For all the boots of the tramping warriors

and all the garments rolled in blood

shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

And at what news do those in darkness rejoice?

For a child has been born for us,

a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

But what if we are the ones who have created that very darkness? What if we are the ones who placed the bar and rod on others? What if we are the ones whose boots trampled down those living under our oppression?

Rome and Herod did not receive the news of Christs coming with joy. Empires are the very ones who place bar and rod, who trample down the weak, who become preoccupied with their own power and supremacy. They fear all rivals.

How will we as Christians who reside in America receive and participate in Advent this yearboth individually and as part of a modern nation? And not just any nation, but one which has far surpassed any empire in history as to military power, economic might and influence.

Only those in darkness (In this context, meaning oppression by an empire or political power) can truly see a great light, the light of Christ.

We light candles for Advent. Lets light them for the children in cages, and those in exile. Lets light them for the stranger, the foreigner among us who is mistreated. Lets light them for the poor and hungry in the midst of our great wealth. Lets light them for a creation under siege by us. Lets light them for those suffering in wars, wars too often caused or allowed by the empire of which we are a part.

Lets light them for ourselves, that during this season of Advent, we might be on the side of those living in darknessespecially if we had a part in creating it. Our prayers though, which should be our actions, must be to alleviate any suffering we have caused whether individually or corporately. Otherwise, we are just lighting candles and the darkness remains.

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Advent Meditation: Only Those in Darkness | Darrell Lackey - Patheos

It is well-known that having a job gives us a feeling of purpose of belonging and contributing. With a satisfying job comes health, well-being, and money to fulfil our desires. But a lesser known fact is that a healthy, toxic-free workplace is built by its employees.

Employees with a proper work-life balance do not burn out. This not only promotes a more inspiring and productive environment, but also less absenteeism.

With the proliferation of new-age gyms in offices, employees now have easy access to the latest equipment to stay physically fit. Though this trend of physical fitness is a good one, we also need mental fitness. And this can only come from taking some time out from the hustle and bustle of daily life to sit quietly and rejuvenate our agitated minds.

Often, because of short deadlines, unscheduled work, and long hours, we ignore basic healthy routines, like eating well in a relaxed manner with regularity, and a peaceful seven to eight hours of sleep. This eventually plays havoc with our mental well-being and physical fitness.

Even more importantly, when our emotions are not well regulated, because of stress and worries, our hearts become heavy with problems and issues from the past.

This then weighs upon the mind, and the imbalance leads to situations that are totally undesirable, affecting every aspect of life, including our work.

When we are unhappy and unrested, how will our energies contribute to our work environment and affect our colleagues? We all know the answer.

Being able to listen to the heart with a calm mind can do wonders to build an empathetic supportive environment in the office.

One practice that can really help you with this is the Heartfulness Cleaning that is practised when you arrive home after a day at work. Cleaning removes all the impressions from the day, wiping the slate clean of emotional reactions and complexities.

You will feel fresh and light, and in a much better mood to have a wonderful evening with the family. To complement this, Hearfulness Meditation each morning will centre you and prepare you to listen to your hearts wisdom during the day. It provides a stable base to take on any challenges, as you are in touch with your higher Self and are able to pause and reflect before reacting.

Healthy happy employees make a healthy happy workplace. By following these simple practices, you will contribute to a healthy environment wherever you are.

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Heres how meditation can help keep the workplace stress and toxic free - YourStory

According to national surveys conducted by the American Psychological Association, the majority of Americans report moderate to high levels of stress. Though the prevalence of full-blown anxiety disorders hasnt changed much over the last few decades, the level of general psychological stress appears to be getting worse. After following thousands of people and their stress levels over time, there does seem to be a connection between stress and modest weight gain. In fact, the increased risk of diabetes in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be explained by the link between PTSD and weight gain. Effects on both sides of the calorie-balance equation have been used to explain the stress-obesity relationship.

For many who are stressed, structured exercise may be viewed as a disruptive inconvenience, just one more demand on their time, and indeed, the majority of observational studies have found that stress is associated with less physical activity. Stress may also reduce the thermic effect of food and reduce how much fat is burned after a meal. In one study, those reporting a stressful event the day before testing burned about one hundred fewer calories in the six-hour period after eating compared to days not preceded by anything particularly stressful.

People who are stressed may eat more too. Though some people eat less when stressed, the majority not only eat more, they tend to gravitate toward foods high in sugar, fat, and calories. If you give people their own private snack buffet, those with high chronic stress levels eat less fruits and veggies and more chocolate cake. We suspect its cause and effect because you can demonstrate the acute effects of stress in a lab. Randomize people between solvable and unsolvable word puzzles, for example, and food choice shifts from a healthy snack (grapes) to a less healthy snack (M&Ms) in the more stressful condition. The stress of public-speaking challenges or being made to plunge and keep your hand in ice water has been found to dull your ability to sense sweetness, tempting you to eat more to achieve the same taste. Even just watching a video with distressing scenes, including traffic problems, financial hardship, and sexual harassment, can evoke the same shift in eating behavior toward chocolate.

They dont call it a comfort food for nothing. Overeating may be a sign that something is eating us.

***

Mindfulness is a major part of the billion-dollar meditation industry, with as many as one in five Fortune 500 companies implementing some kind of workplace mindfulness program. It has been rebranded from hippy dippy nonsense to portrayals such as brain training said to sell it better. These reductionist, commodified forms have been derided as McMindfulness, but who cares what they call it if it works? But does it?

Research into mindfulness has been complicated by the fact that the term can mean anything from informal practices, such as conscious awareness while eating, to structured meditation programs involving designating set times to sit in a specific posture attending to your breathing, for instance. This has made an understanding of the efficacy hard to capture. It cant hurt, though, right? Well . . .

There have been more than twenty observational studies or case reports documenting instances of adverse effects, such as meditation-induced psychosis, mania, anxiety, and panic. One study at an intensive meditation retreat assessed participants negative experiences since they had begun meditation. They found that seventeen of twenty-seven participantsmore than 60 percentreported at least one adverse effect, including an individual who was hospitalized for a psychotic break. Even outside of an immersive retreat environment, as many as 12 percent of meditators recall negative side effects within ten days of initiating the practice.

Its considered plausible that adverse effects occur at rates approximating that of psychotherapy, with about one in twenty patients reporting lasting negative effects of psychological treatment. With about twenty-five million Americans practicing meditation and as many as a million new meditators a year, even a 5 percent adverse-event rate could mean hundreds of thousands of negative side effects a year. As with any medical intervention, though, its all about risks versus benefits. Unfortunately, many of the benefits have been overstated.

A commentary in a psychiatry journal entitled Has the Science of Mindfulness Lost Its Mind? notes that even the books on mindfulness written by scientists are bursting with magical promises of peace, happiness and wellbeing. Contrary to the popular perception, however, the evidence for even the most well-founded benefits is not entirely conclusive. This is not an issue unique to meditation. There is a replication crisis across the entire field of experimental psychology, where many of the landmark findings in the social sciences published in even the most prestigious journals dont appear to be reproducible.

Drug companies arent the only ones to suppress the publication of studies that dont come out the way they wanted. The majority of mindfulness-based trials apparently never see the light of day, raising the specter of a similar publication bias. Presumably, if the studies showed promising results, they would have been released rather than shelved. Whats more, many of the ones that do make it into the scientific record are underwhelming. The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a systematic review of the available data and concluded that mindfulness meditation worked best for improving anxiety, depression, and pain, but even then, the quality of evidence was only moderate. What about weight loss?

Mindfulness-based modalities can help with stress management and self-control, and can decrease impulsive, binge, and emotional eating, all of which might facilitate weight management. However, the first review of the available evidence published five years ago failed to find evidence of significant or consistent weight loss. Part of the problem is compliance.

Like any other diet or lifestyle intervention, mindfulness only works if you do it.

For instance, women were randomized to attend four two-hour workshops that taught mindfulness techniques such as cognitive defusion. After six months, they lost no more weight on average than the control group. However, if those who reported never applying the workshop principles at all were excluded and only those who used the techniques at least some of the time were considered, their weight loss did beat out the control group by about five pounds.

Other studies showed a lack of weight gain rather than loss. For example, one study found that obese subjects in the control group continued to gain weight at about a pound a month, whereas the weight of those in the mindfulness intervention group remained stable.

Putting all the studies together, the latest and largest review published in 2018 did find that mindfulness-based interventions can lead to weight loss compared to doing nothing, an average of about seven pounds over four months or so. Pitted head-to-head, however, they didnt beat out other lifestyle-change interventions, but the nice thing about stress management and mindfulness is they can be practiced on top of whatever else youre doing.

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How Not to Diet: Keep Stress in Check - Thrive Global