Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness

In the West, meditation has become a woolly term under which many different methods have found a home. Mindfulness is the latest, and certainly the most popular, addition.

Scientifically speaking, all approaches to meditation – be they relaxation, mindfulness, visualisation, mantras or otherwise – are associated with measurable but non-specific beneficial effects. So too are all stress management-style interventions even if they are not labelled as “meditation”.

So, does meditation have a specific effect or is it just another way to relax and de-stress? These are the questions that the scientific community continues to struggle with. Importantly, we can only answer this question if we have a clear understanding of what meditation is (or isn’t).

Our research shows that by defining meditation as “mental silence”, which is an evolution of the mindfulness concept, we can effectively answer the key scientific questions about meditation.

http://theconversation.com/meditation-mindfulness-and-mind-emptiness-21291

How Does Mental Stillness Work ?

Modern medical science understands that our psychological and physical states interact in ways that have a direct effect on both our overall health, as well as our performance.

Mental Silence activates the integrative power of the autonomic nervous system and related areas of the brain to increase potentials for wellbeing and performance.

When activated, these systems can have a profound balancing effect on physical, mental and emotional dimensions of the students, reducing the effects of stress, enhancing both resilience and total wellbeing.