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- 4 minute read
Mindfulness can be defined as the “psychological process of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment” – or in other words being aware of what is happening right now and accepting things as they are, without judgement or the need to try and change them.
Quite often you will hear the term Mindfulness in conjunction with other ‘trendy’ topics such as meditation and it has been derived from Buddhist practices which were intended to help people find enlightenment. However, truth be told, we can practice and benefit from mindfulness in our everyday lives.
When practiced as a meditation it can help us become less stressed and calmer, it can help with our ability to process information and make better decisions, allowing us to respond to situations differently as opposed to just reacting poorly when something ‘happens’ to us.
To start practicing Mindfulness you need nothing more than making the decision to take time out for yourself. There is a popular saying which goes something like ‘you should sit quietly in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you don’t have time and then you should sit quietly in meditation for 1 hour’. You will find the more you practice this skill the more time you will have as you will make decisions more quickly and not waste time procrastinating over every little thing. Once the mind clutter is gone you will find you operate much more efficiently.
So, getting started... if you are not yet ready to start with a meditation try starting with an everyday task that you already do but rather than going through the motions on ‘auto-pilot’ be aware of what is going on, be in the moment. For example, take a simple process like brushing your teeth. For starters try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand to normal, this will force you to ‘be present’ as you are doing it because your hand will not know which path to follow. While you are doing this also be aware of how the brush feels against your teeth and gums, what the toothpaste tastes and smells like, notice what other things you can see / hear / smell / feel around you.
Or, as you are walking somewhere – try being present during the walk, rather than letting your mind wander to all the tasks you still need to do today or worrying about a conversation you had yesterday, try being aware of what you see on your walk. Is the sun shining? How does it feel on your skin? If you can, take off your shoes and feel the earth under your feet. What can you smell? Are there flowers or freshly cut grass? What sounds can you hear? Are the birds singing?
If you do want to try a more traditional meditation there are also different options for this, you can try just sitting comfortably and taking a few long, slow breaths and bring your attention to the present moment, what sounds can you hear, what can you see, smell, feel? Is the surface you are sitting on soft or hard? What does the material feel like?
Alternatively, there are a lot of resources such as apps with guided meditations that can help get you started if you are not sure what to do or meditation groups you can join. My favourite meditation teacher / group can be found here. The amazing Kristina offers weekly online classes and (when we are not in lockdown in Melbourne) face-to-face group classes plus so much more.
Quite often you will hear the term Mindfulness in conjunction with other ‘trendy’ topics such as meditation and it has been derived from Buddhist practices which were intended to help people find enlightenment. However, truth be told, we can practice and benefit from mindfulness in our everyday lives.
When practiced as a meditation it can help us become less stressed and calmer, it can help with our ability to process information and make better decisions, allowing us to respond to situations differently as opposed to just reacting poorly when something ‘happens’ to us.
To start practicing Mindfulness you need nothing more than making the decision to take time out for yourself. There is a popular saying which goes something like ‘you should sit quietly in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you don’t have time and then you should sit quietly in meditation for 1 hour’. You will find the more you practice this skill the more time you will have as you will make decisions more quickly and not waste time procrastinating over every little thing. Once the mind clutter is gone you will find you operate much more efficiently.
So, getting started... if you are not yet ready to start with a meditation try starting with an everyday task that you already do but rather than going through the motions on ‘auto-pilot’ be aware of what is going on, be in the moment. For example, take a simple process like brushing your teeth. For starters try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand to normal, this will force you to ‘be present’ as you are doing it because your hand will not know which path to follow. While you are doing this also be aware of how the brush feels against your teeth and gums, what the toothpaste tastes and smells like, notice what other things you can see / hear / smell / feel around you.
Or, as you are walking somewhere – try being present during the walk, rather than letting your mind wander to all the tasks you still need to do today or worrying about a conversation you had yesterday, try being aware of what you see on your walk. Is the sun shining? How does it feel on your skin? If you can, take off your shoes and feel the earth under your feet. What can you smell? Are there flowers or freshly cut grass? What sounds can you hear? Are the birds singing?
If you do want to try a more traditional meditation there are also different options for this, you can try just sitting comfortably and taking a few long, slow breaths and bring your attention to the present moment, what sounds can you hear, what can you see, smell, feel? Is the surface you are sitting on soft or hard? What does the material feel like?
Alternatively, there are a lot of resources such as apps with guided meditations that can help get you started if you are not sure what to do or meditation groups you can join. My favourite meditation teacher / group can be found here. The amazing Kristina offers weekly online classes and (when we are not in lockdown in Melbourne) face-to-face group classes plus so much more.