Mindfulness – Meditation Techniques for Stress Reduction & Well-Being

Mindfulness means "being open to an awareness of the moment as it is." When we judge our experience as not being "right" in some way, we are less present in each moment. Mindfulness allows you to acknowledge the negative feelings and let them flow through without focusing on them so much that you get consumed or stuck. During mindfulness meditation, the negative feelings run through you, but you do not focus all of your attention on them. For instance, you may focus primarily on your breathing.

My favorite western author in this field is Jon Kabat-Zinn.  I also enjoyed the lectures of Matthieu Ricard, Tibetan monk of French descent, and a molecular biologist by training.  You can start with introductory CDs and YouTube videos about mindfulness, such as the Kabat-Zinn's and Matthieu Ricard’s lectures on Google campus.  Of course, there are currently thousands of online references on mindfulness. The key is to choose the discourse that is meaningful to you and resonates with your world views.

VIDEOS TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH MINDFULNESS:
Mindfulness Stress Reduction And Healing
Presentation by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
Google Tech Talks - March 8, 2007

Change your Mind Change your Brain:
The Inner Conditions for Authentic Happiness
Presentation by Matthieu Ricard
Google Tech Talks - March 15, 2007

Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jon Kabat-Zinn leads a session on Mindfulness at Google.
October 11, 2007

Matthieu Ricard: Habits of happiness
What is happiness, and how can we all get some?
with Matthieu Ricard.

Body Scan Meditation
A practical example of a 10-minute guided body scan meditation.

Méditer sur le Stress - avec Matthieu Ricard 
(enregistrement vidéo en Français)

La leçon de méditation de Matthieu Ricard 
(enregistrement audio en Français)

CDs TO GUIDE YOUR PRACTICE:

• Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Audio CD - Jun 1, 2006) - Audiobook
• Mindfulness Meditation - Cultivating the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Audio CD - Feb 1, 2002) - Abridged
• Guided Mindfulness Meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Audio CD - Sep 1, 2005) - Audiobook

BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS FOR AN IN-DEPTH APPROACH:

• Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn (May 1990)
  
• Wherever you go, There you are by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Jan 2005)
  
• The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Sindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn (June 2007)
  
• The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by John P. Forsyth and Georg H. Eifert (Jan 2008) [includes a CD]
  
• The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Move Through Depression & Create a Life Worth Living by Kirk D. Strosahl ad Patricia J. Robinson ( June 2008) [includes a CD].
  
• A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein (March 2010) [includes a CD]
• Why Meditate: Working with Thoughts and Emotions by Matthieu Ricard (Sept 2010) [includes a CD]
  
• Original Version (French): L’art de la meditation: Pourquoi méditer? Sur quoi? Comment? (Jan 2010) 
  
• The Mindful Path Through Worry and Rumination: Letting Go of Anxious and Depressive Thoughts by Sameet M. Kumar, Ph.D. (Jan 2010)
  
• Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (Nov 1996)
  
• Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla Kabat-zinn and Jon Kabat-zinn (April 1998;
  
• Building Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Cultivate Inner Strength in Children by Linda Lantieri and Daniel Goleman (April 2008). [includes a CD]
  

Publication on the effect of Mindfulness Training on Brain Structures:
ScienceDaily (Jan. 21, 2011) — Participating in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress.