Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Mindfulness comes from Buddhist/meditative princles and is essentially the practice of doing one thing at any given time, with full focus upon that one thing.  The three key factors are that it is non-striving (there is no goal), non judgmental (you are not considering whether you think anything is ‘good’ or ‘bad’), and one mindful (you are not doing anything else at the same time).  It is a way of clearing the mind to focus on only what is happening right now.

Therapeutically, mindfulness can be useful in many ways; reducing stress, anxiety and depression, and to help suppress urges and manage emotions.  It is also a useful tool in managing general wellbeing which can easily be added into a daily routine as it can take as little as three minutes and can be practised anywhere.

In the western world of ever increasing pace, where multitasking is valued and time ever disappearing, mindfulness can seem strange and tricky at first.  Be gentle with yourself.  It is the mind’s nature to wonder off.  Like a puppy on a lead, gently leave what it’s doing and bring it back to the focus.  Keep doing this.  With practice it will happen less and less.

A few examples of exercises:

Mindful Breath  (good for calming)
Sitting upright and comfortably, with eyes closed or with a soft focus on one point, become aware of your breath.  Notice all things about it – the sounds, the sensations.  Where it starts.  Where it pauses.  Where it ends.  All observational thoughts about the breath.

Mindful Thoughts  (good for focussing)
Sitting upright and comfortably, close your eyes and imagine a section of river.  Notice the scene, the width, flow, depth of the river.  The surroundings.  Any time a thought pops into your head, drop it into the river and let it flow away down stream.

Mindful Hands  (good for feeling good)
Sitting comfortably, squeeze some moisturiser onto your hand.  Rub the cream into your hands concentrating only on the process.  The sensations, smell.  Watch the absorption of the cream.