Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is a powerful therapeutic technique rooted in holistic care. It works by calming the mind while supporting emotional, physical, and spiritual healing—rippling outward into all aspects of your life. At Aliya Native Americans, we proudly offer mindfulness meditation as part of our holistic recovery programming, because extensive research supports its effectiveness in improving well-being, mental clarity, and emotional resilience.

If you’re unsure what mindfulness meditation is—or how it differs from other forms of meditation—you’re not alone. Let’s break it down and explore how this simple but impactful practice can bring profound change, starting from within.

What Is Mindfulness Meditation?

Mindfulness meditation is a specific type of meditation that focuses on present-moment awareness. It involves observing your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment or distraction. The goal is to cultivate stillness, acceptance, and clarity—learning to be fully present with whatever arises. Mindfulness is one meditation technique that has a focus on attention and acceptance. Thus, mindfulness meditation is also simply called mindfulness. Its emphasis is on being fully present in the moment without negativity or judgement clouding your awareness.

While “mindfulness” and “meditation” are often used interchangeably, mindfulness is actually one form of meditation. In practice, mindfulness means paying attention on purpose, with kindness and curiosity. It’s not about clearing your mind completely but rather learning to observe your inner world with greater awareness and less reactivity.

At Aliya Native Americans, our trained holistic counselors guide individuals through mindfulness exercises during therapy sessions. Through regular practice and therapeutic support, you’ll begin to recognize and release negative thought patterns—replacing them with acceptance, balance, and self-compassion.

Mindfulness Meditation for Native Americans

We offer mindfulness meditation at Aliya Native Americans because it speaks to the deep need for emotional healing, cultural reconnection, and spiritual resilience among Indigenous individuals. Many Native Americans have faced generations of trauma, marginalization, poverty, and limited access to culturally sensitive care.

These lived experiences often lead to low self-worth, chronic stress, and recurring negative thought cycles. Even when traditional therapy addresses the symptoms, deeper healing starts with how you see yourself—your identity, your worth, your story.

Mindfulness meditation provides a powerful way to rebuild that inner foundation. It’s simple, accessible, and deeply transformative. After just a few guided sessions, many participants notice subtle shifts in how they speak to themselves, relate to others, and respond to life’s challenges.

Holistic Healing in Recovery

As mentioned, mindfulness meditation is a holistic therapy method, meaning it engages the mind, body, and spirit. Thus, it promotes healing for the whole being, not just part. Based on studies conducted on the integrative healthcare approach, we offer an research-based combination of traditional and holistic treatment. With our focus on substance addictions, mental health, and trauma, we help Native Americans achieve transformative whole-self healing.

The benefits of combining holistic therapies, like mindfulness, with traditional psychotherapy include enhanced quality of life and increased coping skills. As a result, individuals can use these coping methods in times of distress instead of relapsing. Plus, individuals learn about alternative healing practices they can continue after completing treatment.

How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work?

As noted, mindfulness meditation is focused on being present and thinking without judgement. As a result, you become better aware of your feelings for stronger self-compassion. But you’re likely still wondering how to do mindfulness meditation. As a guest of Aliya Native Americans, your counselor will walk you through different mindfulness exercises. However, the basis of the technique involves focusing your attention on your present experience. If your mind wanders, direct it back to the present. Address each thought, feeling, and physical sensation as it arises and don’t be afraid to really reflect on what it means.

There is a difference between directed meditation and personal time. In therapy sessions, you can explore your experience with your counselor, but if meditating alone, consider journaling. What is most important is considering your focus without negativity or judgement.

What Are the Goals of Mindfulness Meditation?

Mindfulness meditation has a few essential goals that direct how beneficial it is for those trapped in a negative cycle. For instance, some of the healing goals of mindfulness are:

Increased self-worth
Clarity of thinking
Greater attention span
Improved empathy
Emotional regulation
Physical and mental benefits

Regardless of your personal reasons for wanting to practice mindfulness meditation, you can expect to experience lasting benefits. Even if you feel skeptical about alternative healing practices like meditation, give it a try with an open mind. When it comes down to it, mindfulness starts and ends with you and your ability to sit with yourself.

What to Expect in Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are practiced skills. Over time spent meditating mindfully, you can expect to have better focus and less rumination. Now, you’ll have a tool to stop from spiralling into negativity and overthinking. The greater you can direct your thoughts, the more control you have over yourself. Some of the results will include less stress and anxiety from scattered thoughts. And because you’re spending intentional time in the present, you’ll form a closer relationship with your sense of self.

You may experience better confidence as you trust more in your ability to think clearly and set action steps for yourself. Further, you’ll learn to view your thoughts from a distance, like they’re separate from yourself. This deconstructing allows you to form solid opinions about who you are at your core, separate from negative thinking.

What Does Mindfulness Meditation Help With?

As noted, mindfulness meditation is holistic in nature, improving one’s wellbeing through their collective mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. But who is a good candidate for this alternative healing practice? Simply, anyone can benefit from training their thinking patterns for more focus and clarity and less rumination. However, people who struggle with substance abuse and poor mental health are recommended to practice mindfulness, in particular. This is because mindfulness and meditation are therapies for substance addictions, mental health disorders, and co-occurring issues.

At Aliya Native Americans, we include alternative healing methods like meditation into our well-rounded program for connected issues. At the root, holistic healing challenges negative thinking, feeling, and behaving patterns. The more you engage with mindfulness meditation exercises, the more you’ll notice a difference in how you view your problems as distinct from your identity.

Mindfulness Meditation for Substance Abuse

People who battle with substance abuse, as well as long-term substance addiction, are often far removed from the person they want to be. It’s likely for their identity to get lost as they grapple with guilt, shame, pain, sickness, and withdrawal symptoms. Combined with negative stigma and harsh messaging, they can feel unworthy and incapable of change. Mindfulness meditation gets to the heart of what they think and believe about themselves and aims to heal those messages. With its emphasis on honest, non-judgemental clarity of thinking, you can regain self-awareness and empathy. Further, mindfulness can bring about the motivation to change your situation for better. When combined with traditional rehab programs for substance abuse, meditation promotes lasting sobriety recovery.

Mindfulness Meditation for Mental Health Disorders

Mindfulness exercises have proven benefits for mental health disorders, including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, trauma-related disorders, and co-occurring illnesses. To elaborate, the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) supported one such study showing the efficacy of meditation for anxiety. The result found law enforcement officers were able to reduce stress and improve their coping skills through mindfulness exercises.

Managing stress and anxiety improves overall mental resilience and wellbeing. It’s no secret that anxiety is a symptom connected to many other mental disorder symptoms, including depression, trauma, trouble sleeping, and obsessions and compulsions. Mindfulness for anxiety helps get to the root of anxiousness and overthinking. You can think of mindfulness meditation as a coping mechanism for when mental health disorder symptoms arise. The more you’re able to dismiss your anxiety, the more you’ll feel the effects of stress reduction throughout your being.

Mindfulness Meditation for Co-Occurring Disorders

Co-occurring disorders are issues that exist consecutively in a person to wreak havoc on their overall wellbeing. For example, it’s possible to be diagnosed with multiple mental disorders, or experience symptoms of multiple disorders. Undeniably, mental health is complex and some people don’t fit into a box with their mental challenges. It’s also possible to experience a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, like alcohol use disorder (AUD). Notably, the nature of co-occurring disorders can be often shifting, as one’s illnesses can progress over time. One sad reality with co-existing illnesses is their likeliness to worsen each other. When left unresolved, your symptoms can progress into more extreme issues.

Mindfulness meditation, as a holistic therapy with many benefits for mental, physical, and spiritual health, treats co-occurring disorders. It is effective at bringing healing in people who struggle with multifaceted problems. It’s one of the reasons we endorse it as a holistic treatment; mindfulness aids in whole-body restoration from the inside out.

What Are the Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness?

Many studies and trials have been completed on meditation in general and mindfulness in particular. Outcomes show great benefits of mindfulness meditation on the mind, body, and spirit. As a holistic treatment method, mindfulness is shown to improve stress, anxiety, low mood, and overwhelm as mental and emotional symptoms. Even further, it promotes physical benefits with reduced blood pressure, better circulation, and improved sleep. In people with chronic pain from injuries or substance addiction, mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce pain. It improves the issue from the root by helping the brain re-learn how it processes pain.

Along with these results, one of the greatest benefits is the ability to filter and focus your thinking patterns. Instead of ruminating in worry, fear, and negativity, mindfulness helps you channel your thoughts so you don’t feel defeated by them.

How Effective is Meditation and Mindfulness?

It’s natural to be skeptical about holistic programming, especially when Western medicine typically prizes traditional healing methods. At Aliya Health Group, including Aliya Native Americans, you get the best of both worlds with comprehensive integrative health programming. We offer meditation and mindfulness, along with a range of other alternative techniques, because of their effectiveness. Studies show mindfulness to have many benefits on psychological and behavioral health. These include increased quality of life and wellbeing, better emotional regulation, stronger resilience, and reduced mental illness symptoms.

Can Meditation and Mindfulness Help Me?

Meditation and mindfulness as holistic therapies have helped countless people and they can help you, too! The most effective way to get started is by beginning the program with the help of a mental health counselor. They will walk you through your background, negative thinking patterns, goal-setting, and guided exercises. It’s possible the effects you notice will extend beyond what you expect. Along with reducing stress, increasing your emotional resilience, and enhancing your focus, you may encounter physical results. For example, you can enjoy mindfulness meditation sleep improvements for better mood and greater energy during the daytime. Also, you may experience better circulation and increased immune function.

Tips for Successful Meditation and Mindfulness

It can be daunting to try something new, especially when it concerns your health. However, considering the many positive reviews of mindfulness meditation, what have you got to lose? When preparing to get started, try to summon curiosity about the practice. You may be skeptical but keep an open mind. Realistically, people have been practicing meditation exercises for centuries to improve their focus and reduce their stress.

You may want to jot down your thoughts in a journal as you complete the process to track your questions and growth. Also, since meditation requires sitting or lying down in focus for periods of time, stay hydrated before and after for the best experience.

We invite you to give this positive holistic activity a try with us at our center, Aliya Native Americans! If you have any questions about mindfulness meditation, reach out to us anytime.