Over the past few years, I have begun to explore mindfulness more in depth, learning about its origins, what it is (and isn’t), and how to incorporate it into our lives. In this post, I will share some of these findings.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the state of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is paying attention in a particular way: intentionally, proactively, in the present moment, and in non-judgment. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing.
What mindfulness is NOT
Since mindfulness can be a new concept for some people, it may help to clarify what mindfulness is NOT. Below is a list, adapted from this article:
- Mindfulness is not what you think. It’s about observing our mind.
- Mindfulness is not about escaping or spacing out. Its about tuning in and connecting.
- Mindfulness is not simply about attention. Its about paying attention is a particular way- to your present moment experiences with curiosity and kindness rather than judgment (our typical mindset).
- Mindfulness is not about becoming someone else. It is about spending time with yourself and learning more about who that actually is.
- Mindfulness is not about perfection. Perfection is an ideal, not a reality. Mindfulness helps us learn to live with the reality of our lives.
- Mindfulness is not about getting rid of difficult feelings or changing negative thoughts. It’s about learning to peacefully co-exist with them. It’s about noticing our thoughts and feelings again and again and accepting these- with compassion.
- Mindfulness is not religious. While it can serve us spiritually, it is a human experience that utilizes awareness and compassion. These human capacities are innate, deep and often untapped.
- Mindfulness is not difficult. Cultivating our awareness, curiosity, and kindness is not hard to do. These are capacities we are born with.
- Mindfulness is not just about meditation. Meditation can help us strengthen our mindfulness practice, but what we do the rest of the day is also training in action. The brain is like a muscle. If we spend much of our time regretting the past or anxious about the future, our brains will get better at that. If instead, we connect with ourselves and what’s going on now, our brains will be get better at that.
- Mindfulness is not just about stress reduction (although it can help with that). It is about our whole lives, of which stress is only one part. It teaches us to change the relationship to everyone and everything in our lives, including our stressor.
Where did it originate?
Buddhist monks have been practicing mindfulness technique for 2,500 years. Western medicine caught on in the late 1970s when it was used for treating patients with chronic pain.
How do you practice mindfulness?
You can practice mindfulness anytime and anywhere by being intentionally present. You know that you are in the present moment when you are aware of what you are sensing, seeing, hearing, and feeling. At the root of this practice is conscious breathing. Being aware that we are breathing in, being aware that we are breathing out. The breath is always happening in the present moment, so it can act as an anchor that can bring us back from our thinking about the past or the future. Eventually, you can train yourself to be mindful while eating, walking, meditating, working, talking, or doing any other activity.
Why practice mindfulness?
When we cultivate a mindful awareness, it becomes easier to recognize and enjoy all the positive and healthy elements in us and around us. At the same time, it becomes easier to see ways to transform pain, stress, and suffering into healing and contentment. As the saying goes “no mud, no lotus.”
Some ways to incorporate the practices into our everyday lives:
• Find trigger moments to stop, breathe and connect with yourself (e.g. at every red light, while queuing for food, or church bells ring, when drinking your morning tea)
• Follow your breath during conversations, while listening to music, prepping tea, or cleaning, etc.
• Identify a 100m stretch that you walk everyday. Commit to walking mindfully during that stretch for 21 days (no need to walk slower but be fully present- listening, sensing, hearing, feeling). Soon this will generate a space of mindful energy.
• Practice mindful eating. Savor each bite. Consider eating in silence. Be conscious and grateful of all the people and resources involved in getting the food to your plate.
Meeting regularly in a group can help to deepen the practice. Such sessions could include a reading and some guided meditation along with other activities including deep relaxation, object-focused meditation, or mindful activities focused on art, music, listening, sitting. Wake Up, a global community of youngmindfulness practitioners inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh, has local groups in over 30 countries and is a great way to engage with the practice.
It has been shown that just one person being mindful in family, community can make the rest more mindful.
In the comments below, I would love to hear about ways in which you bring mindfulness into your life!