Why should I care about mindfulness?
A Few Thoughts on the Power of Mindfulness I had the privilege of attending the University of Arizona's Integrative Mental Health Conference in April. At our AAHH dinner and book discussion later that month, I shared some of the topics that were presented there. A common theme during the conference was the far reaching benefits of mindfulness. What is that? And what's it good for? Measurable improvements in overall well-being can result from the application of skills training in mindfulness and meditation. Why? A few of the known reasons are that these evoke neuroplasticity (how brain cells talk to each other and rewire), epigenetic changes (which genes are turned on and off, changing body functions), and better functioning bidirectional communication between mind and body. According to researcher Richard Davidson, human traits that we would all recognize as "goodness" are cultivated by such practices. What pra...