What is Mindfulness?
In a nutshell, it can be described as the awareness that arises by paying attention, in the present moment, and in a non-judgmental way.
Mindfulness is NOT…
…the idea that we should never experience anxiety. Anxiety can serve as an important and useful signal from the body telling us that something in our life needs to change.
There are several “attitude foundations” that one strives for when practicing mindfulness.
Non-judging, patience, acceptance and letting go, are some of the attitude foundations.
When one is learning to live more “mindfully” they begin to live more with intention. Living with intention is like having a personal master plan or mission statement, whereas goals are the action items for living with intention. For example, if someone wanted to set their intention, “to be healthier”, then they would have to ask themselves “what is something I can do to be healthy today?” The action items might be to eat more vegetables, exercise, or plan to take a break from something in their life that is very stressful.
There are formal and informal ways of “practicing” mindfulness. It is often helpful to practice formal methods of mindfulness so that in stressful situations, you are more likely to apply the skills that you have practiced developing.
There are many tools and exercises accessible for practicing and learning more about mindfulness. If you’re NOT turned off by reading big books and like to try things on your own, you may wish to check out the book “Full Catastrophe Living”, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. When I read it, it took me about a year and a half to get through it all the way, because of how I would read through a section then ponder, and practice and apply it to everyday living.
Here is one little breathing exercise from the book, “Full Catastrophe Living” that you can practice:
1. Assume a comfortable posture lying on your back or sitting. If you are sitting, as best you can, sit in a posture that embodies dignity, keeping the spine straight and letting your shoulders drop.
2. Allow your eyes to close, if it feels comfortable to you
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3. Allow your intentions to gently alight on you belly, as if you were coming upon a shy animal sunning itself on a tree stump in a clearing in the forest. Feel your belly rise or expand gently on the inbreath, and fall or recede on the outbreath.
4. As best you can, maintain the focus on the various sensations associated with breathing, “being with” each inbreath for its full duration and “being with” each outbreath for its full duration, as if you were riding the waves of your own breathing.
5. Every time you notice that your mind has wandered off the breath, notice what it was that carried you away, and then gently bring your attention back to your belly and to the sensations associated with the breath coming in and with the breath going out.
6. If your mind wanders away from the breath a thousand times, they your “job” is simply to notice what is on your mind at the moment that you come to realize that it is no longer on your breathing, and then to bring your attention back to the breath each and every time, no matter what it becomes preoccupied with. As best you can, continually rest in the awareness of the feeling of the breath moving in and out of the body, or come back to it over and over again.
7. Practice this exercise for fifteen minutes at a convenient time every day, whether you feel like it or not, for one week and see how it feels to incorporate a disciplined meditation practice into your life. Be aware of how it feels to spend some time each day just being with your breath without having to do anything.
I hope you have many wonderful moments!!
~Lori