All In The Mind

Does mindfulness actually work?

- Lydia Tewkesbury

Over the past few years, mindfulness has exploded into the public consciousness. With over 1,000 different mindfulness apps available, countless books, online courses, in person classes and even mindfulness walking trails springing up, the mindfulness movement is valued at billions. But… is it worth it?

Though its popularity is relatively new, researchers have been looking into the effects of mindfulness for a long time, with the first papers on the subject published towards the end of the 1970s. Whether almost four decades of research have produced any meaningful conclusions is a continuing point of debate, but evidence suggests that mindfulness can play an influential role in our lives when practised regularly.

Perhaps the most interesting development in the continuing investigation into the effects of an habitual mindfulness practice are the implications for functional neuroplastic change – in other words, how meditation might alter the physiology of the brain.