Mindfulness
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a universal, modern way to enhance life. Its practice can make us calmer and more centred, and improve our physical wellbeing.
In simplicity, mindfulness means to pay attention in a particular way, on purpose, non judgementally and in the present moment.
Sounds easy right? But with modern day society’s obsession with busyness our minds are constantly overloaded with what we need to do, where we need to go, how we need to look and then to top all that we have pandemics, possible world wars and cost of living crisis’s to completely ruin our balance and equanimity.
I have been incorporating mindfulness into my life for the past few years. I have taken philosophies from the Buddhist Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh and Jon Kabbat- Zinn the pioneer of Western mindfulness.
Learning mindfulness begins with practicing breathing, body scan, walking and movement exercises. The more I have practiced mindfulness the more it has become a way of life. I have learnt to observe my thoughts without becoming attached to them and falling down the rabbit hole of negative catastrophizing ending up in floods of tears wondering why life is so cruel?!? I am not promising that these reactions wont happen again but since practicing mindfulness I am far more aware of how many mind works and what triggers me to overreact.
Mindfulness helps us to befriend and show compassion towards ourselves and to others.
Western science and psychology have adopted mindfulness because research has found strong evidence that it significantly enhances well-being. Mindfulness has been found to successfully relieve anxiety disorders, depression and stress. There is evidence, too, suggesting that mindfulness can be helpful for some people with physical health concerns, such as chronic pain.
Mindfulness is exercising and training the mind - like going to the mind-gym! If we only went to gym once a month and did 20 sit ups this would not get us a six pack! The same with mindful practice - the more time you take to practice the stronger the mind will be to hep navigate life in a calmer and happier way.
A favourite quote of mine is by Jon Kabbat-zin;
“You cant stop the waves but you can learn how to surf”
Interested?
Six week Mindfulness for Beginners Courses will begin in September.
Contact me for further information and to book your place.