Mindfulness
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in the current moment, without judgment and in a befriending attitude. It involves paying attention to your experiences, both internal and external, as they unfold, without getting carried away by them. Mindfulness can be cultivated through formal practices like meditation and informal practices woven into daily activities
W. Kuyken and C. Feldman (2019) defined mindfulness in this way.
“It is a natural, trainable human capacity to bring attention and awareness to all experiences. It is being equally open to all that is present in a given moment with attitudes of curiosity, friendship, compassion and non-judgment in the service of suffering less, enjoying well-being, and living a meaningful, rewarding life.”,
Mindfulness is not about being happy all the time or accepting everything; on the contrary, it is a way to be kind to ourselves by recognizing both the positive and negative things that happen in life, discovering their effects on us, and making wise decisions in every situation we encounter. It is a practice to make clear decisions, to train our attention, to learn to treat ourselves and our environment with compassion.
Research shows that mindfulness training has many benefits:
- Reduced feelings of stress, anxiety and depression
- Increased ability to cope with pain and illness
- Being less anxious and obsessive about situations
- Greater appreciation of what is enjoyable and pleasurable in life
- Feeling clearer about what is truly meaningful and living life with a stronger sense of purpose
- Improved overall well-being even in difficult times
- It may not be easy at first to adapt a practice you have not done before. However, consistent practice can increase the likelihood of benefiting from the course.
- At first, meditating may feel strange or different. Keep an open mind as much as you can. Trust experience and practice.
- It is not clear at the beginning which practices will be most helpful, and you may not see the benefits immediately. Use gentle persistence and remember that each person responds differently.
- Some people are anxious about being in a group. But in a safe environment, learning from others and seeing that you are not alone can be very helpful.
- You may encounter emotional issues that you would prefer to avoid. The challenges that arise can be informative and the course will teach you skillful ways to respond to them.
- Sometimes you may find yourself wanting to give up. This is common. Please contact us if there are any issues that make things difficult for you and let’s talk.
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