Jon Kabat Zinn Meditation Techniques

Stress, pain, illness, anxiety---all can take a toll on the human body. Through a technique called "mindfulness meditation," a person can be taught to cope with these issues. Meditation techniques, in general, assist the body and mind in relaxing through an extended moment in prayer, a chant, music or silence. Where did mindfulness meditation originate from? How is it different from other forms of meditation and why is it so effective? Read on to learn more.

Mindfulness meditation was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Kabat-Zinn received a Ph.D. in molecular biology from MIT in 1972. His life's work has been focused on research in the area of mind-body interactions for healing. He is the founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society located at the University of Massachusetts. In 1979, he founded the Stress Reduction Clinic, also located at the University of Massachusetts.

Through the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness, researchers have been able to study the attributes of mindfulness and the role it plays in the healing professions. Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program continues to be tested through randomized clinical trials investigating mindfulness used to treat specific diagnoses.

Kabat-Zinn began teaching the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Stress Reduction Clinic in 1979. The meditation involves a combination of Hatha Yoga and meditation, and is taught over the course of 8 weeks. Mindfulness meditation focuses on the use of moment-by-moment awareness to cope with chronic pain and other stress disorders. Studies on patients using the program show positive effects of mindfulness on the brain and immune system.

Not only can mindfulness meditation be useful in coping with chronic stress and illness, its ability to bring awareness of the interconnected workings of the mind and body shed light on the unconscious emotions and thoughts that can undermine a person's health. The number of autonomic physiological processes that meditation can affect include lowering blood pressure, and reducing anger and reactivity of emotions. The addition of yoga and martial arts addresses the sedentary lifestyle that can make many illnesses much worse.

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn continues to teach mindfulness at the Center for Mindfulness. His work with the Mind and Life Institute, a non-profit organization that promotes a dialog between scientists and the Buddhist community, further explores science and the methods available for understanding the mind and reality. Dr. Kabat-Zinn continues to bring the idea of mindfulness into the main stream of social understanding through lecturing and publishing books.