The answer of course is no. Before we get into the scientific studies on why one should
practice mindfulness daily, let’s talk about what this means for me,
personally, how it has changed my life and how it has driven me towards the
mission to bring mindfulness to children worldwide.
As a confessed procrastinator, much of my life has been
spent on what I call ‘bulk’ work, I can get an amazing amount of work done yet
not always on a consistent basis. So
when asked to try this for 30 days, every
day, my thinking immediately went to “Really, 30 days every day!” 30 days later, I could not believe how my
thoughts then turned to “I can’t believe I have lived this long without having
this practice”. Truly, I was feeling
better. It was as if things slowed down
enough for me to be clearer on what was happening. Yet, I was still unclear as to any long term
effects mindfulness may have…maybe I should say that I was a bit
skeptical.
I have suffered from anxiety since I was in my early 20’s,
not sure what brought it on but I was given some medication to use which was a
great aid to stop the physical symptoms of anxiety yet what lay behind the
physical symptoms, deeply embedded still sat there. I looked at a list of how mindfulness can
bring about changes in one’s health and well-being and anxiety is on that
list. The now more positive thought came
to me “can mindfulness really help with anxiety”? Could this be a way for me to not have to
constantly seek out solutions to my anxiety?
I’ll save that journey for another day but for now, let’s just say that
the answer is yes. I can still manifest
anxiety and my thoughts can still bring on the physical symptoms of anxiety but
as I continue practicing daily, I can see and feel how mindfulness has helped
with my anxiety.
Fast forward to having a son who was on the verge of
entering into elementary school. I
thought, as most adults think when it comes to mindfulness that “wow, if I had
only had a mindfulness practice as a kid, what a difference it would have made
on my life”. Blend that thought with
images of kids who are hungry, stressed out, and how illnesses that were
previously related to adults were showing up in kids (heart disease, diabetes,
obesity, etc.). Not to mention that only
80% of our students nationwide that were entering into high school were
graduating in 4 years. And that as a
country to we rated 27 in math and 20 in science of all industrialized countries
(OECD 2012). No, my anxiety did not come
back but a sense of urgency did. How
could I give my son, his friends and children everywhere the best advantage to
succeed in school? This strong desire
resulted in creating the non-profit Inner Explorer. Inner Explorer has enabled Laura and I as
Co-Founders the ability to make a difference in children’s lives worldwide and
we have just started, we have so many children to reach and our belief is that
with a daily mindfulness practice done in all grades, Pre-K to 12, we can
create a generational shift in love, compassion, and readiness to learn.
I don’t expect that you’ll just accept my viewpoint so there
needs to be some scientific studies that back up my understanding of this concept. I will, of course, first mention our study that showed a significant increase in grades in math, science, and reading. One of many great resources to look at
is the American Mindfulness Research Monthly.
They post a monthly newsletter that
highlights mindfulness research studies (including the significance of a daily
practice) that are being published. So
far, great things have come from most of the studies and I look forward to even
greater things as we start to help the next generation by teaching them
mindfulness.
I could go on and on about why we should practice
mindfulness daily, the best statement was said by Dr. Dan Siegel that
mindfulness practices are to cognitive health what teeth brushing is to dental
health. Need I say more?