Read the transcript for this video:

Good morning and welcome to your Weekly Cup of Joe. My name is Joe King. I'm the owner of Physical Therapy Advantage in North Aurora, and I'm coming to you this week to talk to you a little bit about mindfulness and meditation. I think we've talked a little bit about this in the past and it's something that, you know, I don't do very well or I'm not very consistent with it, but I know there are some huge benefits to it. And I wanted to kind of give you a resource for it as well. I've got two individuals, one here locally in the Fox Valley Region and one other individual whom I met through a PT Owners Group. I believe she's now out of Maryland. They’re two great resources on the topic and that could help you if you're interested a little bit more, so you're not just going to Dr. Google and finding things out.

So I want to read this a little bit here. So what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is an awareness of what is happening inside us and around us each moment. It is a natural ability that we all have, and one that we can strengthen with practice. A key aspect of mindful practice, which includes meditation and mindful movement is the attitude with which we pay attention. Instead of slipping into our often automatic, judgmental mindset, we adopt a sense of curiosity and kindness, which helps us notice our habits and assumptions and be less critical of ourselves than others. This combination of awareness and care enables us to improve the way we manage stress and make choices from a stable base, empowering us to navigate our lives with greater balance well-being and content. Then meditation has been described as meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique such as mindfulness or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought or activity. To train attention and awareness and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. So they seem to be very similar, and one can be used for the other.

I still don't know the truth,  maybe delineation between the two or if there's a definite difference between the two, but I do know that studies have shown that meditation or mindfulness or being cognitively aware and clearing your brain on a regular basis can decrease stress, it can decrease pain, it decreases your blood pressure, helps your sleep, helps your brain functioning, can be a great treatment for anxiety and depression as well. Studies have also shown that you don't have to do it for a lengthy period of time; as minimal as three to five minutes of being able to focus your brain and clear things out can be beneficial for you. Obviously, if you go a little longer, a little more thoughtful, a little more direct and concentrated effort, it's obviously going to be a little better. But just to get started three to five minutes a day, or when you do it, it can be beneficial for you. So I've got a couple of individuals, like I said, J. Carny out of Geneva and her information will be down below and Karen Sandman, h information will be down below as well, and some links and some information for you to get started. Call them up as a resource and find out more information if you want to as well. So I would really encourage you to try to do this. If it's something that's been on your mind, had been on your heart to try to do so definitely move forward with it.