Mindfulness is an often misunderstood concept, but also one that's difficult to define. In recent years, the term has been abused by health food producers and wellness gimmicks, when all it refers to is, as Kabat-Zinn puts it, having 'present moment awareness'. And that's where the challenge lies.

relax and calm the mind, reduce anxiety and depression, improve cognitive function

Adding to the confusion is meditation and whether or not the two are one and the same - they are not. The practice of meditation is said to help you be mindful at any time of day, which some claim to be a state we should aspire to be in permanently.

So if meditation leads to mindfulness, how does one get started? Its detractors, including those of Western religions, mistakenly generalize meditation as an Eastern belief in conflict with their own. Indeed, there are Buddhist meditation classes everywhere, but there are secular institutions and teachers equally in abundance. To begin with, there's Headspace, a website and app that offers a few free sit-along recordings to kick off your journey.

In most cases, meditation in simplified terms will involve sitting upright, monitoring your breathing and resisting racing thoughts. There are also lying down, standing and walking techniques to help you stay present by focusing on a motion, body part or similar. Unless you intentionally join, say, a Hindu or Tibetan Buddhist class, you won't be expected to om or so-hum.

The practice of meditation helps one effectively employ mindfulness throughout the day. That is, being in a present state or out of a 'dream state', as Kabat-Zinn describes it. It's normal for humans to constantly ponder the past and future, but with that comes longing, regret or worry. When one is mindful, they look outward into the moment, seeing the now for now, without judgment or unwanted feelings. Like we said, it's a concept that's hard to define.

The practice of meditation and mindfulness has been found to relax and calm the mind, reduce anxiety and depression, improve cognitive function, and a 2011 study (Hoelzel et al.) found changes in the brain's grey matter in regions of learning, memory and emotional regulation. Some studies (e.g. Zeidan et al. 2011) suggest both meditation and mindfulness could assist in pain management. While a nine-year study published in 2009 by the Medical College of Wisconsin, found participants who meditated for 20 minutes twice a day showed almost 50 percent lower instances of heart-related disease compared to those who didn't meditate.

Meditation and mindfulness clearly have a powerful effect on the body that goes beyond temporarily coping with daily stress triggers, but the benefits don't come overnight. To reap the most benefits, regular long-term practice is necessary, so there's no reason not to start today.