In my desire to stop my worrying, one of my practices is to be mindful. To be in the moment. It’s estimated that 200–500 million people meditate worldwide.
The Good Body says that this meditation stats shows that the practice has been gaining in popularity. Considering all the health benefits it offers, it’s no surprise that an increasing number of people use it.
As part of working in the NHS, my idea about Mindfulness comes from what they have to say about it. I'm not a practitioner or expert, I use the practice as a thought provoking exercise and if you're interested in it, then there are many others, who are much practiced in it than I am.
I first used mindfulness as part of my therapy after being burnout at work. I found that I'd been rushing through life spending no time in stopping to notice anything, my thoughts, feelings, those around me or even the world itself.
I started by walking along the sea front and instead of listening to music, I listened to the wind and started to notice nature and life around me. I then started to listen to my body, how was it feeling, how was I feeling, what was my feelings, naming them, and finally what thoughts were going on inside my head. I started to name the sights, sounds, smells and tastes that surrounded me on my walk and what emotions did I feel. I was surprised how the smell of doughnuts reminded me of my childhood in Bridlington and jumping on a trampoline, remembering the happiness of the moment.
Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre in the NHS information sheet says "It's about allowing ourselves to see the present moment clearly. When we do that, it can positively change the way we see ourselves and our lives."
So how do I practice Mindfulness today?
I have a book called "everyday mindfulness" which gives you a thought for everyday of the year. I keep it on my desk and then I read the entry for that day thinking what does it mean for me.
Today's entry says " The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." Thich Nhat Hanh
I've been thinking about what that means to my life and how I can embrace it. I find that like anything it's about being consistent, so I do it every morning as part of my routine, but I like to mix it up, so maybe I'll read it over breakfast, or when I have a coffee break, whether it's on the sofa or looking out to sea. I take 5 minutes to think over it, whilst noticing what's around me and what my thoughts and feelings are.
I've taken to writing down my first thoughts, are they positive or negative and how have they changed over time.
If you want more information on how to practice mindfulness then Mindful are good to use
I'm always interested in facts and figures and I found some information on Disturbmenot.com. They came up with the following stats - based on statistics from the States, but we're not that dissimilar. If you're interested, you can find the full article at https://disturbmenot.co/meditation-statistics/
Here are the nuggets that I found interesting, but see the full article if you like….
It’s estimated that 200–500 million people meditate worldwide.
In recent years, the meditation stats show that the practice has been gaining in popularity. Considering all the health benefits it offers, it’s no surprise that an increasing number of people use it.
(The Good Body)
The majority of people practice meditation to improve their general wellness.
About 76% of people using meditation said that general wellness is their primary motive. Other reasons they meditate include boosting energy levels (60%), improving memory and focus (50%), and relieving anxiety, stress, and depression.
(The Good Body)
Meditation improves anxiety levels 60% of the time.
After meditating for 6–9 months, almost two-thirds of those prone to anxiety managed to reduce their anxiety levels.
(Project-Meditation)
Meditation can reduce the risk of being hospitalized for coronary disease by 87%.
Meditation studies reveal that people who meditate are less likely to suffer from heart disease. Since meditation is a kind of relaxation technique, it relieves stress, which is a well-known cause of many serious medical conditions.
(Project-Meditation)
Meditation relieves the symptoms of insomnia 75% of the time.
The majority of people with insominia who meditated on a daily basis were able to fall asleep more quickly. In fact, 75% of them needed only up to 20 minutes to doze off. Additionally, 91% of insomniacs reduced or completely eliminated their use of sleeping medication.
(Project-Meditation)
Meditation can reduce PMS symptoms by 57%.
Based on meditation research articles, women practicing meditation noticed a reduction in both the physical and psychological PMS symptoms.
(Meditation 24-7)
Practicing meditation can increase your attention span after only 4 days.
In addition, a study showed that practicing mindfulness meditation for a short period of time may enhance visuospatial processing, working memory, and executive functioning.
(ScienceDirect)
Meditation can increase grey matter.
According to a Harvard study, practicing mindfulness meditation for at least 30 minutes a day can increase grey matter in the hippocampus. This is one of the more important meditation facts since this part of the brain plays an important role in memory and learning.
(Online Psychology Degree Guide)
There’s a greater number of women who meditate than men.
According to the 2017 National Health Interview Survey, 16.3% of women used meditation compared to 11.8% of men.
(National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
66% of US Buddhists meditate at least once a week.
This fact may not come as a surprise. However, Americans across other religious groups also practice meditation on a regular basis. For example, 49% of Evangelical Protestants meditate at least once a week, while the percentage of Jehova’s Witnesses doing the same is even greater, at 77%. According to these meditation facts and statistics, even about 25% of people who don’t belong to any religion and don’t declare themselves as atheists practice meditation just as frequently.
(Pew Research Center)
Headspace, a meditation app, has had about 40 million downloads.
According to Apple, mindfulness apps, including meditation apps, were the number one app trend in 2018.
(The Good Body)
By 2022, the value of the US meditation market will be a bit over $2 billion.
According to Marketdata’s findings, the value of the meditation market rose from $959 million to $1.08 billion in just one year, from 2015 to 2016. It’s estimated that its annual growth will average 11.4%.
(Marketdata Enterprises)
52% of employers provided mindfulness classes or training to their employees in 2018.
Comparing the NBGH’s meditation workplace statistics, this marks a considerable increase—from 36% in 2017 to 52% in 2018.
(National Business Group on Health)
Meditation can increase employees’ productivity by 120%.
Additionally, employers who introduced meditation to their employees claim that work absenteeism decreased by 85% while profits increased by 520%.
(Project-Meditation)
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If this post has made you think and you would like to make a change, then contact me and we can have a free 30-minute chat about how I can help you and then start working together with some 1 2 1 coaching. Find the power within to change - why not do it today.
About the Author Elizabeth Pickering is an Executive Resilience coach, who helps people find success, focus and balance in their life. I take them from feeling overworked, overwhelmed, stuck and stressed to feeling energised, empowered and falling in love with life again.Working with sole traders, business owners and entrepreneurs, I keep them on track towards their goals, giving them energy, focus, motivation and the freedom to enjoy their life.