What is Mindfulness?
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness has become a popular approach within health and wellness circles but you might be thinking what exactly all the fuss is about.
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing, and not be overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
That means that by being fully present you can better understand and access your thoughts, feelings, urges and emotions.
You can quite literally stop and smell the roses.
By being more mindful and aware of our inner experiences, you are less likely to go through life on auto-pilot, less likely to indulge in unwanted habits or unhelpful thoughts and more likely to take stock of what you have in your life at the moment, rather than constantly looking forward or living in the past.
You are more likely to notice when you are feeling sad, when you are preoccupied with memories from the past or a version of our life you are not currently living.
You are more likely to notice when your mind is overwhelmed with a never-ending to do list or when you are worrying about achieving a goal. You might notice that you believe that happiness will only descend when you finish a project, earn a certain level in your business or move into a bigger, shinier house.
You can actually learn to feel more gratitude for what you have around you now, who you have around you and what you have achieved to get you to this point in your life.
What are the Benefits of Mindfulness?
Lots of research shows that some of the benefits of having a daily mindfulness practice are:
Reduced overall stress levels
Enhanced performance at work, in sport or other activities
Increased insight and awareness of our inner experiences
Surprisingly, it also increases our attention to others’ wellbeing too!
By carving out a regular spot in our day for meditation we are able to cultivate mental wellbeing.
Mindfulness practice:
Encourages us to suspend judgement of ourselves and our thoughts, feelings and behaviours
Supports us to become compassionately curious about our inner experience
Learn to approach ourselves and others’ with warmth and kindness
How can I use Mindfulness?
There are several ways that you can incorporate mindfulness into your day.
A daily mindful meditation practice
Mindful breathing when things are feeling stressful or you notice you feel anxious.
Mindful eating if you would like to feel more connected to your body’s natural signals of hunger and fullness.
Mindful moments of joy - stop and notice when you are feeling satisfied, joyful or happy. Soak them up by being fully present, putting your phone away and losing yourself into the flow of the moment. Use all of your senses to be engaged and present.
Mindfulness Meditation Routine
A great place to start is to try mindfulness meditation in the morning. All you need is a quiet room and a comfortable place to sit. You can be crossed legged but also you can simply sit in a chair with your feet grounded on the floor.
Find a comfortable place to sit - either on a chair or on the floor with a cushion or pillow
Set a timer for 2 minutes to start with, increasing as you go. Put a timer on your phone to help you know when the time is up.
Focus your attention inwards and close your eyes.
Notice your breathe and how it feels. You may become aware of the sensations in your body but pay them no attention. Bring your attention back to your breathing.
Notice any thoughts or feelings that come up. Simply acknowledge them and let them float by, like they are on a conveyor belt.
If you find your mind wanders, that’s normal. Simply return your attention inwards, unstick your mind from those thoughts that are hanging around.
If you find yourself not having thoughts, that’s ok too. They will return in their own time.
Mindful Breathing
Try this exercise for one minute.
I encourage you to lower your gaze and notice where you feel your breath. That might be the air going in your nostrils and out through your mouth or the rise and fall of your chest, stomach. If you can’t feel anything now, place your hand on your stomach and notice how your hand gently rises and falls with your breath. If you like, you can just lengthen the in breath and the out breath or just breathe naturally. Your body knows how to breathe.
Bring your focus on your breath. When your mind wanders, as it will do, that’s perfectly normal just bring your attention back to your breath. When you notice your thoughts or feelings, just gently shepherd your attention back to your breath. Good.
You can do this for longer than a minute of course. You can try breathing in relaxation and calm, and breathing out stress and tension. You can focus on a key word such as ‘relax’ or ‘confidence’, whatever you would like to focus on.
Mindful Eating
Next time you are eating a meal or a snack, try these steps to be fully in the moment:
How does the food look? Are you sitting and focusing on your eating? Have you put away or turned off screens so you can focus on your food?
How does the food smell? Take a deep breath and really identify all the delicious notes.
How does it sound when you cut it / break it? Or when you open the wrapper? How does it sound when you eat it?
How does the food feel to touch? Notice how the vegetables feel in your hands.
Lastly, taste! How does each component of the meal taste? Are you savouring the meal or are you just getting it over and done with?
Being mindful of your eating habits and how you eat can radically change your relationship with food.
You might find yourself feeling fuller more quickly as you are completely engaged with the sensations from your body.
You might notice the makeup of the meal. Is this meal colourful so that I’ll get a range of nutrients?
I hope that this has given you a better understanding of what mindfulness is. If you would like to learn more about mindfulness, how you can incorporate mindfulness into your day or how you can learn to be fully present in your life, contact me here for a chat about therapy.