This is how I finally learnt to radically change the way I take joy in my daily wellness practice, and terrifically experienced improvements in wellness and wellbeing from 2 weeks of daily 30 minutes compassionate meditation using a simple four step technique.
In a research study by Dr. Richard J Davidson, the team discovered that compassion can be cultivated with compassion meditation training and that greater compassionate behavior may emerge due to positive changes in neural systems in relation to the training. Participants who participated in the study had provided responses to surveys administered during the research study and had their brain scanned by a fMRI machine before and right after 2 weeks of daily compassionate meditation training, 30 mins a day. This discovery of compassion can be cultivated with compassion meditation training was a result of in-depth analysis of participants’ brain scans and survey responses.
Insights from another original research study by Dr. Thaddeus W.W. Pace had also interestingly uncovered that compassion training can improve personal well-being, including stress related immune responses.
Compassion meditation generally aims to increase feelings of compassion towards self and different sorts of people that we may come across in our daily life, for example a loved one, a stranger or a difficult person. This meditative technique involves contemplating and envisioning their suffering and then wishing them freedom from that suffering.
Based on findings from these research as well as my personal journey in compassion meditation practice, cultivating a compassionate outlook can help broaden our perspective beyond ourselves and pleasantly enhance our well-being. You may not believe this, but you can try the step-by-step compassion training tips below which was effectively used by participants in Dr. Davidson’s research study.
How to Practice Compassion Mediation in Four Simple Steps
Step #1 – Imagine a time a loved one had suffered (e.g., illness, injury, relationship problem, etc), discover what emotions or sensations this evoked in you during this first step.
Step #2 - Practice wishing that the suffering was relieved and repeat the phrases “May you be free from this suffering”, “May you have joy and happiness.”
Step #3 - Envision a golden light that extended from your heart to the loved one, which would help to ease his/her suffering.
Repeat these steps by focusing next on self, a stranger, and then a difficult person. This sequence helps develop our compassionate meditation effortlessly as it is a gradual transition of focus from easy (I.e a loved one) to advanced (I.e. compassion towards a difficult person). A stranger can be someone encountered in daily life but not well known (e.g., neighbor living nearby, someone you have come across during your daily commute or people you had briefly engaged in conversations in your favorite café, restaurant, bakery etc), and a difficult person can be someone with whom you have had a rather unpleasant time dealing with at work, family or other settings.
Step #4 - At the end of the meditation, extend compassion towards all beings.
Compassionate meditation can remarkably improve our wellbeing as research has revealed, and this four step practice can be done in approximately 30 mins or less. Another useful tip for your subsequent compassion meditative sessions: if you like, you can also add some variety and choose to project your compassion towards either the same or different people over the course of your daily practices.
If you have already taken off on your wellbeing journey or simply seeking additional ways that can invigorate your daily wellness experiences, you may try compassionate meditation sometime soon and have a good time enjoying an improvement in your overall wellbeing. Besides compassionate meditation training, here are a handful of additional resources and Apps that we can already use to help us put in motion or continue growing our compassionate outlook towards ourselves and also people in our community.
1. Kind Cloud
Kind Cloud is a sound free website, App that helps guide you through a self-compassion meditation activity with affirmation phrases. Its best to take as much time as you need for each phrase till you feel ready to move on to the next phrase in the App.
2. Bekind
Bekind provides unique ideas on daily acts of kindness ideas. You can also keep track of your good deeds with stories and pictures, get motivated by news and stories of kindness from across the globe, or share inspiring stories with friends and family.
3. Nobly
Nobly is an app for iOS and Android that allows you to create and contribute to a chain-reaction of kindness. Each Deed tells a story, and with Nobly you can share that story with others and allow them to pay it forward with a Deed of their own.
The Spark Kindness App’s entire focus is to allow for easy sharing of acts of kindness you encounter throughout your everyday life and bring them together for the world to see. It can be an act of kindness that you performed yourself, one that you received, or something that you saw. The app allows you to create kindness challenges and set daily reminders to engage in kindness.
LiveDifferent is an interesting app that helps people and their social group stay motivated to make a difference and spread a little kindness every day. The app features a variety of fun challenges, access to the LiveDifferent Hub, filled with inspiring stories, news, and videos, lets you track your progress, the option to invite your friends, and share your progress, send and receive “kudos” to your friends, and collectively progress as a community towards kindness.
I would really appreciate and invite you to explore other Wellness Chums blog post including this next one on “What’s a half hour visit to an art gallery got to do with wellbeing?
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