Mindfulness, Meditation, and Yoga

Watch the Q&A segment here.

Ever wonder if meditation is for you? Or if practicing mindfulness really works? Almost every day, something about meditation and mindfulness appears in the news. The reports suggest that these practices will make us healthier, happier, keep our brains healthy, and make us more successful. Meditation is the new miracle intervention that improves everything for everyone. But what exactly are meditation and mindfulness? How can they be learned, and by whom? In this talk, Dr. Marcia Grabowecky explains what meditation and mindfulness are and the relationship between them. She describes possible mechanisms for the effectiveness of these practices at psychological and neural levels, and how meditation and mindfulness relate to other types of training. She also reviews evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness and meditation from the domains of physical and mental health, experimental psychology, and neuroscience. Finally, Dr. Grabowecky discusses the costs and benefits of adding meditation practices into one’s life.