Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the usefulness of mindfulness. Some of the benefits of regular practice are:

• reduction in stress and pain
• boosting the body’s immune system to fight disease
• improving attention and concentration.

Practising mindfulness meditation is one way to learn how to be fully focused and engaged in what we are doing in the present. Focusing our attention is also a useful way to help our bodies and minds recover from pressure and challenges, hence those benefits the scientists are finding.

Using mindfulness sounds easy, but many of us find it difficult to put into practice because of our busy lives and our drive to be “doing” rather than “being”. It can be helpful to remember that mindfulness is a skill, so requires some training and practice.

We like this excellent site for trying out some mindfulness meditations, go to http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

You may want to try one specific exercise for a week or so, then once you have the hang of it, move on to another.