Meditation as Alternative Medicine
Mindfulness meditation is an ancient practice that is now being popularly evidenced to benefit not only the physical health of our body, but also our mental, emotional, and behavioral health. It is a holistic practice that can be considered a form of alternative medicine that allows us to strengthen our awareness of what is happening in the moment, which we can appreciate thanks to our sensory body. Many times, we shape and shift what we sense in the moment with our thought perceptions and judgment, which can lead to discomfort and unhealthy habits. Mindfulness meditation can help develop awareness of our usual thinking patterns so that we can gain greater insight and cultivate an appreciation for what is most important to us. Although we all possess mindfulness, our ability to shift our focus to the present and to have mindfulness more readily available can be hindered by the highly stimulating world we live in today.
Mindfulness meditation can help re-balance the stability between your internal and external world. Mental health concerns, like anxiety, anger outbursts, and depression, can also come from and contribute to a mindset that gets stuck in negative patterns of the past or in the worries of the future. Whenever you bring your mind to what you are directly experiencing via your senses, or to your state of mind via your thoughts and emotions, you are being mindful. Growing research shows that mindfulness meditation can actually remodel the physical structure of the brain. Mindfulness meditation can also help reduce stress, improve focus and attention, lower high blood pressure, and regulate impulsivity and reactivity of mood and behavior. The benefits you gain will be very unique to your own practice and life experience.
Psychologist Dr. Maridelie Diaz Villanueva is facilitating the mindfulness meditation learning experience. Mindfulness meditation can be learned via one hour of individual sessions or in a group format. You can make your own group or you can call Mind & Soul Therapy to join the next group.
Practicing Mindful Meditation
The most effective way to learn is through practice!
To begin or resume a mindfulness meditation practice we encourage you to participate from at least four one-hour sessions once a week for four weeks. Each session will have a different instruction on the principles of mindfulness meditation, including steps to meditate, the contents of the mind, and obstacles to meditation. The four sessions will also allow you to practice at home and to return to debrief your experience, answer questions, and continue to develop your basic practice so you can set up a consistent mindfulness meditation practice at home.
Rates
Individual one-hour session: $100
Group of two or a couple: $50 per person
Group sessions of more than 3 members: $40 per person