Douglas Johns, LCSW
Portland, Oregon
503-252-3739
Mindfulness & Meditation ~ Portland, Oregon
Douglas Johns, LCSW
Mindfulness and meditation can
be thought of as two aspects of the same experience:
Intentional Awareness. John Kabat-Zinn defines Mindfulness
as, "Paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment,
nonjudgementally." Mindful awareness has scientifically
demonstrated many beneficial outcomes including increasing
confidence and calm, improving attention, and healing
disease. Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere.
Meditation is the formal practice of mindfulness. In what's
often called 'sitting meditation' we pay attention to the
present moment for an extended period of time. To assist
us, we incorporate a specific object of attention or
meditation. Some meditations use a "mantra"; a word or
sound on which we focus the mind. In mindfulness-meditation
we often utilize the breath as our object of meditation. We
simply pay attention to the direct physical experience of
breathing without judging the experience. We observe
breathing just as it is, in the present moment, without
changing or modifying our breathing. This is a state of
non-doing. Just bare attention. For more specific information on
meditation, please click this link.
All of us possess awareness. Through mindfulness-meditation
we strengthen and deepen the muscle of awareness just as we
strengthen our physical muscles through exercise.
Strengthening mindfulness allows us to respond to
emotional, psychological and physical experiences more
creatively and resiliently. Paying attention, in this
particular way, becomes a way of being in the world, like
having strong arms and legs. Please call me with any
questions at 503-252-3739.