Mindfulness is moment to moment awareness, developed by purposefully paying attention in a non-judgemental way, to what is going on in our bodies, minds and the world around us.
Mindfulness is a term which can be traced back to ancient traditions going back thousands of years. It has been adapted over the past 20 years as a way of dealing with difficulties, including chronic pain, stress anxiety anmd depression. Some people see Mindfulness as a way of life, others use certain aspects of it in their lives.
Mindfulness involves bringing our awareness as to whatever is being experienced on a moment by moment basis. We can do this by tuning into the physical senses of touch, hearing, sight, smell, taste and breathing.
Most of us spend a lot of time thinking about the past, either with regret or fondness, or about the future, either with fear or anticipation. We might recognise that much of the time we work on automatic pilot, without being really aware of what we are doing. We can often be miles away without knowing it. When we drive or sit on a bus, how often do we get to our destination without remebering the actual journey. We make a cup of tea, look forward to drinking it and before we know it the cup is empty without remembering the taste of the tea.
On ‘automatic pilot’ we are more likely to have our ‘buttons pressed’. Events, thoughts, feelings and sensations in the mind and body [of which we may be only dimly aware], can trigger old habits of thinking that are often unhelpful and can lead to cycles of low mood, perhaps leading to depression. By becoming more aware of thoughts, feelings and body sensations from moment to moment, we give ourselves the possibility of greater freedom and choice. We can avoid getting into the old mental ruts which have caused problems in the past. This shift of awareness may lead to seeing things differently, perhaps feeling less stuck. We can see thoughts as ‘events’ in the mind, allowing them to pass in and out of the mind without getting caught in the content of them.
People who practice Mindfulness are encouraged to simply listen to all sounds, eg: the sound of the bird singing, of water splashing or the sound of the voice of the person they are talking to. It involves really feeling the feet on the ground and being aware of the body as it moves from one place to another. Placing the awareness on the breathing is an integral aspect of Mindfulness. Focussing the attention in this way can bring a person into the present. People have described their experiences of these practices in a variety of ways. They often say that they feel a sense of acceptance, of calm, of contentment, reduced feelings of stress and anxiety and an enjoyment of the present moment.
The ethos of Mindfulness is summed up in the following quotation taken from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book, Full Catastrophe Living [reference below]
‘Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact I would try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.’
‘Mindfulness is about being in the NOW. It is seeing things as if for the first time. Life is made up of a series of moments and it is never too late to exprience the next moment in the PRESENT NOW.’
Try these simple Mindfulness techniques:
- Bring your awareness to your breathing and focus on the air as it moves in through the nose on the in-breath, and out of the mouth on the out-breath. Practice this mindful breathing for 10 breaths at any time of the day. The breath can be an anchor which you can always return to…… moment by moment…..breath by breath.
- Sit in a chair with your back straight and your feet planted firmly on the ground. Bring your awareness to the presence of your body sitting here; feel your feet on the ground, your clothes on your skin. Be aware of the sensation of the touch of your hands resting on lapyour and the play of air on your face. And now move the attention to hearing…….listen to sounds, sounds near and sounds afar, soft sounds and loud sounds. Simply listen to sounds and the silence behind sounds.
- Bring your attention in the moment to activities you do everyday. Bring moment to moment awareness, for example to brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, walking from one place to another, eating a banana or drinking a glass of water. These examples help to bring you into the moment through the sense of touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell.
Reference
John Kabat-Zinn [1990] Full Catastrophe Living: how to cope with stress, pain and illness using minfulness meditiation. Published by Piatkus
Links to information about mindfulness:
http://www.4mindfulnessmeditation.com/
Venus muse has worked in the mental health field for 30 years and has a real passion for enabling recovery of hope and optimism and for enjoying a balanced and fulfilled life 
