WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

 

So, mindfulness is actually mind training. Training our mind to slow down and spend more of our time in the present moment. Every activity can be a done mindfully - eating, walking, showering, talking, brushing your teeth - everything ! 

 

HOW DO WE PRACTICE MINDFULNESS?

 

We pay attention by simply noticing all the sensations and experiences that are taking place in the here and now, without judging or trying to change anything. A lot of our time can be spent  wanting things to be different without us even realising it. We usually want our life to be better, more secure, easier and  happier.

 

So, if we are going for a walk, we notice the sights and sounds of the birds, the smell of the freshly cut grass, the feeling of contact on the ground underneath our feet. How often do we go for a walk and spend most of the time deep in thought- worrying, planning, in the past, in the future ? We return home hardly having noticed any of our surroundings at all ! 

We also become more aware of our thoughts, feelings and sensations on a moment to moment basis. 

 

WHAT ABOUT THE MEDITATION SIDE OF MINDFULNESS ?

 

The sitting meditation part of  mindfulness  consists of focusing your attention on the breath as it flows in and out of the body. We can focus on sound or sensations in the body in the same way like during the body scan meditation. 

 

Focusing on the breath, our body or sound in this way  allows you to notice or observe thoughts as they arise in the mind. With regular practice you come to realise that we are not our thoughts! They are visitors to the mind, and will pass all by themselves  if we leave them alone and do not engage with them. 

A bit like watching a movie on a screen, where the scene changes all the time, and you can just sit back and watch. Sometimes part of the movie is hard to watch, because the scene is uncomfortable or scary, but we don’t start criticising the film or get up and walk out because we know it is only one part of the story, and the next scene may be altogether different and more up-lifting. 

This noticing is called the observer state, and being an observer to our thoughts and emotions creates some distance between you, and your thoughts. 

 

Another analogy is viewing unhappiness or stress as if they were black cloud in the sky, and simply noticing them with a friendly curiosity as they drift past. This noticing s called the ‘observer state’. Being an observer to our thoughts and emotions creates some space between you and your thoughts. This valuable  space helps us to respond rather than to react to difficult thoughts or situations that may present themselves in our life.

 

With practice, you get to know your own mind, and begin to recognise unhelpful ways of thinking that don’t serve you. So, ultimately, you have a choice whether to engage with that thought, or simply wait for it to pass - which it will, if you leave it alone ! It’s the constant engagement with thoughts that creates a busy mind. 

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So, mindfulness is  about observing our own mind, with curiosity, without criticism or judgement or trying to change anything and with an attitude of gentleness and compassion.