IMPACTS OF MINDFULNESS ON CONCENTRATION: A SELF-REPORT OF A 20-DAY PRACTICE OF MEDITATIVE WALKING

Regular mindfulness practice through meditative walking improves concentration. A practitioner engaged in 20 minutes of meditative walking each night for 20 days and recorded his experiences. Concentration increased from 2–3 minutes on the first 2 days to 7 minutes on day 5, 17 minutes on day 15, and reached 20 minutes on the final day. The self-report method shows that sustained practice enhances the ability to maintain focus.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mindfulness is originally a concept in Buddhism and has been widely used to improve mental state around the world. Meditative walking, a type of mindfulness practice, is a widespread practice. The main aim of the research is to find how a 20-day practice of mindfulness can improve the practitioners’ concentration. A self-report method was employed. The author reflected on his practices and experiences within a total of 20 days of mindfulness practice by meditative walking at night for 20 min (from 8 to 8.20 pm) every day. He made notes on every single happenstance that he was aware of. The primary assessment was through daily monitoring of increased mindfulness and other internal and external factors influencing the practice. Findings show that regular mindfulness practice improved the concentration level. Specifically, in the first 2 days, the practitioner kept concentration for about 2–3 min. On day 5, the concentration level increased up to 7 min. It kept growing to 17 min on day 15. Furthermore, on the final 5 days, the concentration continued to grow and reached the level of 20 min on the last day. Implications of mindfulness practice for concentration are discussed.