BBC: Mindfulness -2

Studies have shown it reduces levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. 

And a new study has claimed that eating mindfully can actually help people to lose weight. 

You mean eating slowly?

Yeah, slowly and really experiencing and tasting the food. Not being distracted and not eating too much too fast! Neil, is mindfulness taking over the world?You

Well, not quite yet. There still aren't many detailed studies on it- and some critics say the studies  we have show a publication bias. In other words, only the positive results are published. 

A bias seems certain is that mindfulness has entered into many aspects of modern life, at least here in the UK. Now, let's look back at our question. I asked how many teachers in the UK have been trained in mindfulness. 

And I said 5.000.

Well, it was actually 5,000.  Well done! According to the Mindfulness Initiative. And it keeps on growing. 

So before we finish up, here's another question that might be useful for our listeners- what's the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Aha- that's not so easy to define. Meditation is the broader term, When you meditate you spend time quietly- focusing your mind- often for relaxation or spiritual purposes. Mindfulness is a particular a kind of meditation- when you try to empty your mind of thought. Does that make sense?

Yeah, more or less. So we'll let our listeners meditate on that answer. And before we empty our minds, let's look back at today's words. We had mindfulness, mindful and mindfully- they all relate to the particular practice  of being only focused of what's happening now. 

What's happening now, or we could say- what's happening in the present. People often focus on the past- thinking back about mistakes or happy memories...

Or on the future- which can be full of worries. But by being in the present- you overcome these thoughts and fears. Next we had secular. It contrasts with 'religious'. So, while a church is a religious building, we also have secular buildings- like factories and shops and hospitals...

All non-religious buildings, in other words!

Exactly. Now, tell me Neil, are you feeling grounded right now?

You are, most of the time. Most of the time you're naturally grounded, every now and again you get a bit panicked, but ...some of us need to remember to slow down, chill out and meditate once in a while. 

Yes, that would be meditate meaning to take quiet time to focus deeply on something. 

Exactly. Now for more ways to improve your English I suggested you mindfully visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube pages.