The 4 types of Mindfulness and their characteristics

There is not only one way to practice Mindfulness, but several strategies to achieve well-being.

Mindfulness is an ancient practice that has gained popularity in recent years in the West, mainly because of its benefits for emotional health and performance.It is mainly due to the benefits it brings to people's emotional health and to their performance in the work, educational or sports environment.

Currently, Mindfulness is used for different purposes, and although it is more of a philosophy of life, professionals of behavioral science have adapted it to this discipline to help people manage some problematic situations that arise in their lives, such as stress, depression or anxiety.

However, as we will see, there is not only one way to practice this, but several: we speak therefore of types of Mindfulness and not just Mindfulness.

• If you want to know more about Mindfulness, you can visit this article: "What is Mindfulness? The 7 answers to your questions".

The need for Mindfulness today

In a world as fast-paced as this, in which new technologies are advancing at a frantic pace, mindfulness becomes as necessary as the air we breathe. Many people live on autopilot, stressed, anxious and without even knowing who they are. They live far from the present, far from themselves. Their mind jumps from one side to another continuously, scattering their thoughts and emotions.

Many individuals have serious difficulties in connecting with themselves, because they live immersed in a culture that encourages individualism and materialism, and in which to speak of emotions is not a matter of time.and in which talking about emotions such as sadness, fear or uncertainty is practically forbidden and frowned upon. You have to be happy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year... something that is impossible.

Luckily, Mindfulness brings us back to the present (to our present), away from our unrealistic expectations, Mindfulness brings us back to the present (to our present), away from our unrealistic expectations, those that cause us so much suffering.those that cause us so much suffering. Mindfulness helps us to stop, to focus, to find ourselves again with the person we are and the one we often forget.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is not a fleeting fad, and there are many investigations that have provided data on how this practice helps us to live better. Among the benefits of this practice we can find:

• Reduces stress
• Improves self-knowledge
• Improves emotional balance
• Helps to sleep better
• Improves mood
• Increases concentration
• Promotes creativity
• Prevents depression
• Helps control anxiety
• Develops emotional intelligence
• Improves interpersonal relationships

If you want to go deeper into these benefits, in our article "Mindfulness: 8 benefits of mindfulness" we delve into the benefits of this experience.

Types of Mindfulness

Over the years, specific Mindfulness programs have been created to address particular problems. But what types of Mindfulness are there? What types of Mindfulness are there? What are its characteristics? In the following lines we will find out:

Different types of programs

Although mindfulness is a philosophy of life, a methodology to face life situations in a more adaptive way, it is possible to classify it according to the objective.

1. MBSR or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program

The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (USA) in 1979. As its name suggests, the MBSR aims to reduce the practitioner's stress level and, as a consequence, his or her psychological well-being..

Research that has been conducted to test the effects of this program on people's emotional health shows that it is one of the most effective treatments for reducing stress. This 8-session program has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of pain.

MBCT (or Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy).

MBCT (Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) is a program of Mindfulness that is used for the treatment of various disorders, such as depression or anxiety. Like the previous one, this is a program of 8 sessions.

It was created by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale who decided to establish a treatment for emotional stress, depression and anxiety. to establish a treatment for emotional stress, anxiety and relapses in patients with depression.. It is therefore a psychotherapeutic program that combines Mindfulness meditation with the acquisition of practical skills that characterize cognitive therapy, such as the detection of thought patterns that lead to depressive or anxious states.

3. Plenary Emotional Intelligence (PINEP)

PINEP is a program to improve people's psychological health thanks to the combination of Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence practices. Thanks to this program, participants become more conscious and emotionally intelligent people, capable of managing their emotions in the different situations of their daily lives.

The objective is to increase personal well-being and increase the capacity for positive appreciation of oneself and one's environment.. PINEP practitioners improve their interpersonal relationships, achieve a higher level of empathy, increase their concentration, become empowered in the face of their problems and life, clarify their life goals and enjoy greater emotional balance.

Types of Mindfulness meditation

Meditation is an important part of Mindfulness practice. Primarily, Mindfulness uses these types of meditation

1. Breath-centered meditation

One of the simplest and most useful types of meditation is breath-centered meditation, which refers to focusing attention on how air enters through the nostrils.. This is the object of attention that, thanks to its simplicity, can be used anywhere and at any time. For example, if we are at work and we want to be in the here and now, we can practice the one-minute breath.

2. Body scanner

Body scanning is a type of meditation in which the object of attention is the body itself, from head to toe. the object of attention is the body itself, from head to toe..

3. Benevolent Love Meditation

A meditative practice that fosters positive feelings of love, compassion and care, both for oneself and others.both towards oneself and others.

4. Vipassana Meditation

This type of meditation is also called mindfulness meditation. It aims to label the thoughts, emotions and feelings that arise in the mind while meditating. while meditating.

• You can learn more about this type of meditation in this article: "The 8 types of meditation and their characteristics".