Our first adult MBSR class is behind us now, and I am so happy to be guiding you all on this new journey of self-discovery!  I am very impressed with the courage and conviction of each and every one of you to grow and evolve. I truly feel privileged to be in such wonderful company.

In class one, we learned about how often our minds are on "automatic pilot", without really being aware of what we are doing.  This makes us more likely to "react" versus "respond" to life.  By doing our homework this week, and practicing the body scan, we will be working on increasing our awareness so that we will begin to respond to sensations with choice, rather than acting automatically.  We also will become more aware of our "Monkey Minds", and how frequently they jump around from thought, to thought, to an emotion, etc., etc.  SEEING what is happening in our minds, in the moment it is happening, is the first step towards change.

Please feel free to share your observations of doing the homework this week, but please remember to use your first name ONLY, to preserve confidentiality!  I have asked a lot from you, and the support may help us keep the pace!  

After weeks of development, welcome to my first blog post on our brand new website, South Florida Center for Mindfulness!  I am hoping that this website will be informative, allowing you to learn more about mindfulness and how it can be applied in our daily lives.  I also hope this website will serve as a support for the South Florida mindful community, with updates of upcoming mindfulness classes and events.

As a neuropsychologist who has studied the effects of different types of brain injury on behavior, it has been very exciting over the past few years to see the abundance of research coming out that suggests the beneficial effects of mindfulness on the brain.  Not only is there evidence to suggest that an 8-week MBSR class can increase grey matter density in certain regions of the brain,

but participation in an MBSR class can also boost your immune function!

Although the evidence to suggest the benefits of mindfulness based meditation on cognitive abilities is mixed (e.g. some studies report significant improvements in attention and executive abilities, others do not), we are still in the infancy of this research, and more information will quickly be forthcoming.  What an exciting time to be practicing mindfulness!