Mindfulness
Intro to Mindfulness
With the busy lives we lead, we barely have the time to stop or rest even if we have had a sleepless night, the time to pause and reflect, to learn what's good for us and make the right choices. When we join the turmoil of life, our priority becomes work, completing our daily routine to serve our duties, and just about ourselves, and then repeat the whole process all over again on the next day. Weekends come and fly past us, with barely any time to fulfil our entire needs before the turmoil begins again. Unfortunately, this feels out of our control; as when we are privileged enough to have a job, we are at their mercy, if fall ill we feel guilty for all you have not done and worry about the accumulation that awaits you when you are back on your feet, and if you have a family their needs may become secondary to work, but more important than yours. So how do we do this? Sad news is if we don’t do anything about this now, one day it will catch up with us and the Universe might force us to stop by disrupting our paths...Good news is, if you acknowledge this and desire to make a change, then your journey has just began!
Mindfulness teaches us that if you cannot change your situation, you can certainly change how you respond to it and eliminate the stressful effects of this crazy lifestyle we live in. We each have the power to face it in a meaningful, focused manner that brings greater awareness, creates time and weightlessness by eliminating the extra burdens and illusions that blind us, as well as the ability to turn that turmoil energy into valuable, mindful moments. Life is too short if you live in the rush, but it can be rich and abundant if we learn to live in the present moment.
The tool is Mindfulness and the choice is yours.
A Start To Mindfulness...
Additional Information
Struggling to keep your mind focused?
Our minds are a powerful tool, which allow us to think things through, make decisions, retain valuable information, be creative and use our imagination beyond limits, but if you lack the control it requires, your mind can become your worst enemy.
You may find your mind lingers and drifts freely, sometimes at times when we really want to pay attention to what’s been said or what we are experiencing in the moment. Drifting minds are only normal, unless it gets to a point where you find it difficult to control it when you need to. Fortunately, Mindfulness practices teach us how to gain that healthy control and become present when we wish to, and as hard as this may seem at first, always remember...
“What you practice grows stronger” (Shauna Shapiro)
...and gaining focus will gradually become an effortless and rewarding achievement.
Studies show that on average, our minds drift 47% of the time, meaning that we are actually missing the full experience of being present in half the experiences we live...think about it...that’s half our lives living in our minds and not living the moment! There is nothing particularly wrong with this and we must not judge ourselves, for this innocent act that happens naturally to all of us, but once you become aware of the effects it has on the quality of our lives, then you will long to start implementing this practice to experience the benefits.
How does a drifting mind affect our daily lives?
Let’s look at the consequences we may suffer from a drifting mind, which we find challenging to control:
- When we drift, we are focused on our thoughts and not the present moment, so depending on the quality of our thoughts, we may be experiencing positive emotions or unnecessary negative emotions which don’t serve us; like nervous thoughts about what will happen in the future or daunting thoughts about a past experience, when in actual fact our negative emotions are driven by an illusion we have created in our minds and not the actual reality we are living in that particular moment.
- Our attention is not in the present moment, meaning we will not be able to absorb useful information which is being delivered to us; such as in school lessons, lectures, while studying for exams, in a meeting, in a valuable conversation etc.
- We may become forgetful, as part of our senses may be detached from the present moment whilst your mind drifts, and you cannot quite remember what happened clearly.
- You may be missing valuable and special experiences, which have the potential to enhance your vibration and become valuable memories to look back on.
- It may be causing a barrier between you and your friends or family when they are talking to you, as you may be drifting and not attentively listening and absorbing what they are saying or how they are truly feeling beneath the words they speak.
- It can become a barrier in achieving your full potential, as a student, worker or anything you do, as you are not applying your full ability.
The list really does go on and if you are able to reflect on this I have no doubt you will be continuing the list yourself!
What benefits does a focused mind experience?
With a focused mind you will be able to:
- Experience the present moment purely as it is, enjoying the beauty of it or becoming learning to deal with situations we may be uncomfortable with.
- Live solely in the present moment, not allowing unwelcome thoughts or emotions from the past or future to interfere with your present experience.
- Truly live the moment by using your senses, absorbing the full experience and creating vivid memories that you can look back on with gratitude.
- Achieve the ability to give your full attention and absorb information more clearly.
- You will have more control over your actions, easier to reflect and make conscious choices.
- Create stronger bonds with friends and family.
- Perform to the best of your ability in any task you may do, as your fully attentive and applying yourself to the moment.
Once again, this list does go on and throughout the practice more and more benefits will come to light.
Practice Techniques to Focus Your Mind
1. The Feather exercise:
This is my favourite technique, seeing as so many children have responded so well to this...
Think of your mind as a feather resting on the palm of your hands; acknowledge your intention to keep it safe in the palm of your hands; it is light, delicate and beautiful, but can easily drift if you are not attentive to it. If a gentle breeze or blow reaches the feather, you would watch it drift away, and calmly stretch out your palms towards it, to catch it gently and bring it back to you. Our mind works in a similar way; simply acknowledge your intention to focus your mind on the present moment; admire the power and beauty of your mind; when it drifts, calmly observe it, without judgement or strain, and gently bring your attention back to the present moment. When you do, refrain from wondering bring you back to your thoughts and continue to miss the present moment.
Practice this technique by setting a timer and giving yourself a minute to focus on the moment. Notice each time your mind drifts, acknowledge it, and gently bring your focus back to the present moment. You can also put this technique into practice during specific occasions or for full benefits, make it a conscious, daily habit.
Assess your ability to focus by setting a timer and giving yourself a minute to focus on the moment. Count how many times your mind has drifted. After a week of practice, do this exercise again and notice the progress. Make sure you that when you repeat this exercise, you are in the same mental and emotional state as you were the previous time. This is important because when you feel worried or agitated about something, you mind will tend to drift more often than when you are in a “calm and normal” state of mind. Alternatively, challenge yourself to assess your focus during difficult times and observe how with practice you are more able to keep focused at your most challenging times.
2. Breathing Exercise:
Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Observe how you inhale the air through your nose, passed your chest and into your rising diaphragm. Then observe how your diaphragm falls as you exhale the air, passed your chest and back out through your nose or mouth. You can continue this exercise counting your breath; breathing in for 4 slow counts, holding it for 2 and exhaling with 6 counts. If you notice your mind drift at any point during this exercise, apply the steps from the ‘Feather Exercise’.
Focusing on your breath is a relaxing and easy way of keeping your mind focused on something valuable that occurs in every moment of our lives and we do subconsciously.
3. Absorbing the moment through your Senses:
Choose a moment to look around and observe the colours, shapes and textures that you are seeing in this moment. Do this, and the following, without judgement, expectation or thinking about it in ay way, simply accepting what you are witnessing as you are seeing it. Then close your eyes and focus on the sounds you hear. Then turn your attention to the smell you are experiencing in the moment, followed by the taste and by anything you can feel against your body as you are standing, sitting or lying in the moment. It can be the chair you are sitting on, the feel of the clothes you are wearing, a gentle breeze touching your skin or the temperature of the air around you. If you notice your mind drift at any point during this exercise, apply the steps from the ‘Feather Exercise’.
Using your senses is a powerful way for absorbing the moment fully. Implementing this practice regularly, particularly in valuable moments, will enhance your experience and create vivid memories which will serve you for a lifetime.
4. Body Scan Guided Meditation:
Sit comfortably or lie down with your eyes closed. Start by observing your breath, as you did in the ‘Breathing Exercise’. Then bring your focus to your right foot and notice any sensations; temperature, tingling, tense, relaxed etc. Then bring your attention to your left foot and notice any sensations. Continue with each knee, hips, tummy, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, face and head. Depending on the time you have or your attention to focus, you can keep it simpler just by focusing on each limb, instead of the different parts of the limb or make a detailed body scan. Either way, the importance lies in your ability to focus in the present moment. If you notice your mind drift at any point during this exercise, apply the steps from the ‘Feather Exercise’.
The body scan will also improve your ability to listen to your body. You will find a wide variety of Body Scan Guided Meditations in YouTube if you prefer to follow the guided steps without thinking. Listen to a few and choose the one which you respond best to.
MCA
Highly Recommended Mindfulness Courses Online
Free Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) founded by Jon-Kabat Zinn
Free Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) founded by Jon-Kabat Zinn
Free Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) founded by Jon-Kabat Zinn