What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of consciousness which involves being present in the moment of now. This is achieved by cultivating a moment-by-moment awareness of physical, mental, emotional and environmental sensations. Sounds like something you want to try? Check out the following tips & tricks!

1. Begin by noticing

Notice how often you find yourself out of the present moment. How a thought can quickly become convoluted and skewed by past experiences, giving us anxiety or apprehension of the future. This all happens while being accidentally apathetic of what is happening right now, in the present moment.

2. Live in the moment

Start to think about what “living in the present moment” means for you and how this could be beneficial to your everyday life. Think about if taking your consciousness away from the present moment to analyse the past, and attempt to predict the future is giving you the benefit you hope it’s bringing.

Make a conscious effort to remain in the present moment in a situation where you would usually distract yourself to pass time. Public transport, long walks home, business meetings, etc. We often find it to be a simple short-term solution to boredom, when we “zone out”, scroll through Instagram and occupy our minds. In doing so, we are blind to the present, and we are not mindful. We do not absorb our surroundings, the particular smell of the trees, the pleasant feel of the breeze, the beauty of the architecture of the buildings around us. When we are not present, we are apathetic, and we lose our ability to cultivate inspiration organically.

3. Understand that mindfulness extends the reach of religion and spirituality

And even extends ritualistic practice such as meditation and yoga. We are able to maintain mindfulness while working, while driving, while exercising and while talking with our friends. Mindfulness is an awareness, and it begins by simply noticing your awareness, and where it is attempting to settle. By making a conscious effort to notice when our consciousness wanders to the past or present, we are able to bring it back to the present with ease, and remain mindful.

Resources:

Book - The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer

"Who are you? When you start to explore this question, you find out how elusive it really is. Are you a physical body? A collection of experiences and memories? A partner to relationships? Each time you consider aspects of yourself, you realize that there is much more to you than any of these can define.”

Book - Living in the Heart, Drunvalo Melchizedek

“Contains two very important practices: The Unity Breath and entering the sacred space of the heart. The Unity Breath is more or less something you'd do at the top of any sacred ceremony, or your personal practice. To use Kahuna terminology, it blends your basic, conscious, and higher self together so that you can move as one, rather than from your little self.
Videos:

Video - What is Mindfulness?

“Traditionally a Buddhist form of meditation, its popularity is growing rapidly and it's now being taught in schools, has been adopted by the national health service and is behind best selling books and top apps. You're encouraged to focus on living in the moment and its supporters believe it can help deal with stress, mental illness and chronic pain - amongst others. But, how does it work? Benjamin Zand has been giving it a go.”