Ellen Ostroff is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with a bachelor of arts in psychology from Boston University and a master of science in clinical social work from Bryn Mawr College. She has been in private psychotherapy practice as Ellen Ostroff, LCSW, for the past 12 years. One of her areas of personal interest is mindfulness meditation.
Often used in a similar context, the words “mindfulness” and “meditation” have practical applications that overlap. Although it exists in a wide variety of forms, meditation typically refers to a quiet practice that seeks to expand consciousness, calm the mind, and/or increase inner peace.
A state of profound awareness, mindfulness is often used in meditation to pay close attention to certain aspects of being and remaining engaged in the present moment. Meditators may, for example, concentrate on the air that travels in and out of the body with each breath.
When engaged in mindfulness mediation, practitioners needn’t worry about blocking or eliminating thinking. If they catch their minds wandering, they can simply and gently return focus to their breathing.
