Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness

Put simply, Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment. It is engaged awareness of what you are doing, how you are feeling and what you are sensing with an attitude of openness, curiosity and kindness to yourself. Mindfulness is simply ‘being’ at this very moment, rather than dwelling on the past, or dreaming about the future.

In teaching the mind to be present, we are teaching ourselves to be live more mindfully. We learn to observe our thoughts and feelings, without judgement, and without reacting to them. By becoming aware of unpleasant thoughts and challenging emotions that arise because of various life situations, we have more choice in how to handle them in the moment — and an opportunity to react calmly and empathetically. This can help us to cope better when we are faced with challenging circumstances or difficult situations.

The Benefits of Mindfulness

Research shows that regular Mindfulness practice can have many benefits, from decreased stress and sadness to increased levels focus and happiness. The ability to be fully present in the moment may bring back such qualities of life as joy, harmony, relaxation, relationships, focus, and productivity. Mindfulness can boost resilience, and when implemented in the workplace, can increase job satisfaction and enhance performance.

Many of the people we have worked with have told us that that Mindfulness may also assist in taking positive life-changing decisions (e.g. changing jobs, quitting smoking, or leaving abusive relationships), or lessening chronic pain.

On a basic level, Mindfulness actually rewires the brain, making learning easier and improving emotional regulation.

Mindfulness and Meditation

If Mindfulness is the ‘quality’ or ‘state’ of present moment awareness, then Meditation is ‘the gym’ for learning mindfulness. Mindfulness Meditation is one of many forms of Meditation; and we can also practice mindfulness without it being part of a meditation.

When we begin to train our minds to be Mindful, Mindfulness Meditation is a tool we can use to practice present moment awareness for short periods of time. Over time, and with practice, we can begin to bring this Mindfulness into our daily lives, and learn to be present throughout the day, every day.

Mindfulness Meditation is scientifically proven to contribute to the changes in the shape of our brains. Studies have found that 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation changes our brains, causing, reduced ‘negativity bias’ (negative thinking), and a more balanced perception of various life events.

Explore our Mindfulness courses and events here.