What is Mindfulness Anyway?

You see the word mindfulness used so often nowadays, but do you know what it means? 

It might be helpful to think about what it doesn’t mean for a moment. Mindfulness is not:

•     Sitting on a meditation cushion for hours
•     Being perfect
•     Having all the answers

But it is easy. Living a mindful life shouldn’t feel burdensome or like yet another task to add to your list.

Put most simply we can say that mindfulness is paying attention to what’s happening in the present, to what you’re doing, to your environment. It’s the opposite to multitasking. You don’t have to schedule mindfulness or study it in a group. You can practice mindfulness right now, as you read this article. 

Mindfulness is a process that keeps you focused. It sounds easy, but it’s human for our monkey minds to get distracted. Instead of focusing on the present, the monkey mind leaps about, brooding over events from the past or worrying about the future.  A mindful approach treats the monkey mind kindly, and gently brings the attention back into the present. 

Mindfulness is not a fashionable social media slogan. Studies have shown that incorporating mindfulness into your life has tangible benefits: 

•     Decreased stress and improved capacity to cope with adversity
•     Lowered anxiety and depression
•     Increased clarity, attention, and brain function
•     Increased immune system functioning
•     Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
•     Improved general well-being 

Mindfulness can also improve relationships as you become less reactive to situations and more resilient. 

You can start to incorporate mindfulness into your life right now. It needs no equipment, studying, or unique ability. You don’t need to change or get fit. You already have everything you need to be present. You only need gentle encouragement to keep bringing your attention back to what is happening right now.

To begin with set aside a little time to explore what mindfulness means for you.

1.     Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. Leave your smartphone and computer in another room.
2.     Sit comfortably and start to observe the current moment. 
3.     Let thoughts, anxieties, and judgments pass by, like a cloud floating by you.
4.     Where is your mind now? 
5.     Return your attention to the present.
6.     Be kind to yourself and don’t worry if your mind wanders. Gently bring it back.

Use this gentle practice to build space into your life, to slow down your reactions, to break down conditioned responses. Mindfulness allows you to be more thoughtful in dealing with what is right in front of you, right now.

 

Why Practice Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully aware of the present moment, not distracted or dwelling on past hurts or worrying about what might happen in the future. Mindfulness keeps you grounded in the here and now. You might think you need to have achieved a state of blissful detachment to be mindful or spend hours meditating in silence, sitting cross-legged on a cushion.  

But anyone can practice mindfulness, anywhere, at any time. It only takes a commitment to detach from the monkey mind of stress and worry and give your complete attention to what is happening in the present moment. To focus on your breathing and every aspect of what you’re doing, whether it’s preparing a meal, walking in the park, or commuting on the train. The capacity to calm the mind is also a fundamental element of meditation, although when you mediate your focus is turned inward.

We’re only just starting to appreciate all the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Studies have shown that with regular practice mindfulness can have long-lasting positive effects on your mental and physical health. Here are some compelling reasons why you should seriously consider incorporating mindfulness into your life. 

Physical Benefits

•     Decreased Stress — Scientists consider mindfulness a key element in fighting stress. As well as decreasing cortisol (a stress hormone), practicing mindfulness has an immediate impact on lowering blood pressure and your heart rate. One study showed it cut heart attack risk by 50% in five years.
•     Pain management — Mindfulness can help you deal with aches and pains, especially for people who have a painful chronic disease such as arthritis.
•     Increased immune function — An increased immune function meaning you can fight off common illness like flu and recover faster from illness or surgery. 

Mental Benefits

•     Mindfulness has been shown to increase the neural connections in the brain, improving brain function, memory, and decision-making.
•     Mindfulness and mediation boost your attention span and capacity to focus and concentrate.
•     It increases resilience and capacity to deal with stress.
•     It improves problem-solving and mental performance in stressful situations such as exams. One study showed that students who meditated before an exam performed better than students who didn’t.
•     It slows down the progression of age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

Emotional Benefits

•      Practicing mindfulness and meditation has been proven to dramatically reduce anxiety and depression, including postpartum depression, and enhance the effectiveness of psychological therapies.
•     Mindfulness can have a powerful effect on changing a negative mindset and reprogramming your inner self-talk to be more positive and nurturing.
•     It reduces feelings of loneliness.
•     It improves your mood.
•     It increases your capacity for empathy.
•     People who practice mindfulness develop improved resilience.
•     It enhances creativity.

Practice Mindfulness Anywhere & Everywhere

One of the joys of mindfulness is that you can do it anywhere! You don’t need to sit in silence for hours, chant mantras, or even close your eyes. Mindfulness means bringing your complete attention to the present, where you are right now, not distracted by memories of the past or anxieties about the future. 

Right here, right now.

Here are some great mindfulness hacks you can use to stay grounded and present no matter what time of day or where you are.

 Breathe!

You can use the 3 Breaths technique to anchor your awareness firmly in the present. It’s so easy you can do it right now as you’re reading this. Simply bring your attention to your breath – breathe in slowly and gently, following the path of your breath with your mind. Feel it deep in your belly. Then breathe out slowly and gently, again paying attention to the movement of your breath. Can you feel a subtle energy shift, a calm peacefulness? That is how mindfulness feels.

You can do this anywhere at any time, and no one will know that you are practicing mindfulness. 

Check in with your senses

If you’re finding it a little tricky to access your inner peace or you find your mind is distracted, try the 5 Senses Check-in. Make a conscious decision to disconnect from distractions and focus your awareness on what you can see, feel, hear, smell and taste. This simple exercise will ground you in the present moment anytime you feel stressed or harried.

Seize opportunities

Take every opportunity that comes your way to practice mindfulness. It’s especially good to use times where you might feel frustrated and impatient, like waiting in line or while you’re stuck in traffic. Put a half-smile on your face and watch your breath. Let the breath breathe you—don’t try to control it. In no time, you’ll feel your frustration melt away.

Use mindfulness to create space

No matter how busy you are, you can use mindfulness as a stealth tactic to build some more space into your day. Before you send an email, take time to breathe and notice your breath, then read the email again and decide if you want to send it. As you’re walking along, look up and really notice the sky, the leaves on the trees, are flowers budding or blooming? Smile at other passers-by and notice their reactions. 

Choose to ignore or switch off all your devices for a while. Instead of jumping in with a reactive response, sit back and really listen. Give the other person your full attention and respect, and you’ll have a more meaningful and productive conversation.

Take a Mindful Walk

Chances are you spend a lot of the day sitting at a computer, and frankly, the prospect of doing more sitting is not so appealing, even if it’s for mindfulness meditation. Luckily, there is a long tradition of walking meditation and developing a mindfulness walking practice can be a great way to take a break and boost your mood.

You might think that walking meditation sounds a bit contradictory, but it’s a great way to bring awareness to everyday activity and to detach from the busyness of modern life and be fully present. The ideal would be walking somewhere beautiful, somewhere in nature. But mindfulness can be practiced anytime, anywhere! Walking between floors in your office building, or during your daily commute or a lunchtime walk through the park are fine. And you can do it right now. 

It’s easy to start a mindful walking practice – here’s how.

1.     If possible, try to wear comfortable shoes and clothes.
2.     Make the conscious decision to walk mindfully.
3.     Take every opportunity to walk mindfully.
4.     Leave your phone at home.

Before you start walking, take a moment to check in with your body and see how you’re feeling. Notice your posture, feel the weight of your body and how your spine, legs, and feet are working to keep you balanced and upright. Breathe a few times deeply and bring your awareness to the present moment. 

Focus your eyes softly ahead of you and begin to walk naturally and easily. Pay attention to the mechanics of walking, the sound of your breath, the freedom of just being. You may find it helpful to coordinate your step with your breathing—breathe in, step. Breathe out, step.

You may find your attention wandering. Observe this and gently keep bringing it back to the breath or to the physical sensation of walking (your feet touching the earth, your knees bending, your arms gently swinging.)

Move your attention to your senses. 

•     Notice the sounds you can hear without stopping to name them or determine if you find them pleasant or unpleasant. Notice them and let them go.
•     Shift your awareness to what you can smell. Keep your awareness moving, not labeling or judging.
•     Now focus on what you can see. Colors, objects, textures, shapes.
•     Return your attention to the feeling of walking through the environment. The physical sensations of walking, the air cool or warm on your skin, ruffling your hair, how your feet are touching the ground and how this activity moves through your body.

Don’t worry if you get distracted, just keep returning to the rhythm of breathing in and out, the rhythm of walking. Mindful walking is something that is easy to integrate into your life and will pay off in reduced stress, greater resilience, and greater inner peace.