Mindfulness, What is it?

Mindfulness

What is it?

It is paying attention in a particular way, without judgement or condemnation

It’s being able to be in the moment all the time, it is the ability to accept everything as it is, not living in the past or future in turn, this stops worry, eases anxiety, having this as a tool is critical in today’s society and in modern relationships.

A lot of people go through their daily lives in a hypnotic fuzz, an automatic response to cognitive pathways pre-programmed by past and what they have learnt from other or figures of authority, for instance take an everyday task you do, do you do it automatically, for instance taking a shower…., most people are in there and thinking of either the day they just had and all the problems of tomorrow and back out again without ever once living in the moment of what just happened, it is also being able to identify your emotions consciously and allow them in instead of fighting with them prolonging angst or stress, to allow the feeling in to your body without attaching the thought that comes with it sometimes quite quickly can ease the emotions you are feeling.

Doing it mindfully you would for instance, walk in the bathroom, turn the tap all the while being present in every second that’s happening, undress and feel the temperature of the room changing as the steam starts to fill the room, entering the shower you feel the cold spray hit your legs first, then as you go in further the heat of the water hits your skin, you may get goose bumps, all the while every thought that enters your head you let go as they have no business being there whilst you are enjoying the sensations of this experience, so you let them go once you are aware of them and return back to your shower, the feeling of the soap as you wash your skin, the texture of the water changing as the bubbles and moisturising liquid surfs on your skin, the warmth against your skin, the way your skin feels as you exfoliate, the temperature change on freshly exfoliated skin feels different than normal skin, massaging your scalp whilst washing your hair, feeling the way your hair changes after you condition it, the sensation as you run your fingers through your hair against your scalp, as you finish off your shower you stay present in every moment patting your skin dry, rubbing your toes dry, putting on your clothes, feeling the different fresh sensation of the material against your skin and then leaving the bathroom, now…… that’s one instance of mindfulness in ONE thing, you can practice this in everything you do, walking the dog, making a cup of tea, eating a meal.

I mean when does anyone ever stop to enjoy these things, life is only ever lived in these moments, only ever lived in the now, but sadly most things are experienced in a passive conscious flow, so flitting in and out of the moment, some people will almost always live in the future or the past, NEVER living because life is ever only right here, right now.

Paying attention to every moment can be a mountain to climb to begin with, every moment your mind screams pay attention to me !!! or oh what’s this, you have to do this later, you have to worry about that thing someone wants you to do, remember that really important thing you were supposed to do ages ago, or ! you know that really big thing that if you completed or did it would dramatically improve every aspect of your life in the long haul.

There is a lot to talk about.