The main difference between a mindful meditation and practising a relaxation technique lies in judgement. If taught well, the aim of mindfulness is to just notice thoughts or sensations coming and going; to be present in the moment without judging. Whereas relaxation techniques involve questioning whether my right calf is as relaxed as possible, whether it is as relaxed as my left calf, for example.
Another important difference between the two types of meditation is that relaxation techniques link to the amygdala, the fear centre of the brain, whereas mindfulness does not.
Whilst both mindfulness and relaxation lower distress and raise positive mood, only mindfulness has a good effect on rumination and negative habits.
With either type of technique, short term they should feel nice, but for real benefit, you have to stick at it. Real brain changes take 20 – 40 hours of regular and deliberate practice.
There are two well known relaxation techniques (apart from yoga, which also involves judgement, especially as it is practised in the Western world) and they are Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and Autogenics. PMR involves tightening up a muscle as much as possible, then completely relaxing it. Autogenics involves feeling limbs getting heavier and warmer.
There are similarities between mindfulness and relaxation techniques: all involve part of the prefrontal cortex that help regulate our decisions. ((Called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex)) Also involved is the Anterior Cingulate Cortex – a part of the brain that drives attention as well as regulating blood pressure, impulse control, decision making amongst other things.
So either type of meditation can help with risk taking, with mindfulness better at helping give the courage to give things a whirl, whereas PMR type meditation will help think twice – because of the link to the amygdala.
A third area affected is called the orbitofrontal cortex. It’s here we associate actions with long term rewards or punishments. That was a nice biscuit: if I finish the packet it will be nice on the lips (immediate reward), huge on the hips (long-term ?reward). All of which means that, for weight loss, learning mindful eating will really help.
A fourth area affected is called the precuneus, which lives in the parietal lobe. This fascinating area partly deals with our degree of arousal and itchiness. When we are in a deep sleep, the centre of the precuneus sends weak signals down to the activating part of the brainstem to shut it down – and these brainwaves are also present in mindfulness practitioners – but not in relaxation practitioners.
Which means that if insomnia is a problem, long term mindfulness will suit you more than will a relaxation technique.
Regularly scratching some itch or other can be a sign that the precuneus is seeking stimulation. Get good at mindfulness, and the itching should subside.
There are a couple of apps that teach mindfulness: Headspace, which has ten free trial meditations and Insight Timer, a free app with 10,000+ hours of guided meditations. Whilst it takes at least 20 minutes to enter a truly meditative state, and 20 – 40 hours of practice to get the brain changes desired, it really comes down to starting! Decide how long you can commit to daily, even if that’s only 3 minutes, and stick at it. It’s worth it.