During the recent Networker Conference, Dan Siegel, the psychiatrist who is so skilled at helping psychotherapists understand neurology and the brain, reviewed with us the current research on the effects of mindfulness meditation on the brain. If you’ve been doing these experiments over time, you know that their underlying theme is to increase awareness, which is a form of mindfulness.

Above and beyond reducing stress and helping us to become more balanced in our everyday lives, it turns out that mindfulness meditation actually changes the brain. It increases brain mass in those areas where we make decisions and choose – moment to moment – how to respond. Dr. Siegel has a new book coming out called “The Mindful Brain”, which I haven’t yet read but am looking forward to seeing.

Becoming aware, once again, of the power of mindfulness, I wanted to invite you to revisit it as a practice, if you aren’t doing it already. And so, for this week’s experiment, I offer the following options for practicing mindfulness:

Settle yourself in a seated position so your body is comfortable and your mind is alert. Then, focus on the natural flow of your in-breath and out-breath. With each in-breath, mentally say, “in”, and with each out-breath, mentally say, “out.” Then, whenever your mind wanders, bring yourself back to your breath and begin again. Remember, the goal with mindfulness meditation isn’t to be able to constantly focus on your breath – the goal is to catch yourself when your mind has wandered and gently come back to the breath.

Notice the sensation of air coming in and out of your nostrils as you breathe. As with the exercise above, each time your mind wanders, gently bring yourself back to an awareness of the sensation of the in- and out-breath in your nose.

Drawing on practices from Insight meditation, imagine that there is a background of awareness that is like the sky behind clouds – always present, always there, no matter what else may be happening. For this meditation, allow yourself to imagine that you are like the sky – aware of what moves through your awareness without going along with thoughts, feelings, physical sensations. For example, if you notice a thought moving into your awareness and captivating you, mentally say “thought.” If a feeling or sensation moves through, name that, as well. The goal here is simply to notice what moves through without being carried away by it. Also, whenever your mind wanders, simply come back to “being the sky” and naming what you notice moving into and through your awareness.

As with all the experiments, this one also contains an invitation to be curious and kind to yourself. The goal isn’t to do things perfectly. Rather, it’s to increase a capacity to be present to what’s happening in this moment, right here, right now, and not be carried away by what’s emerging in your experience.