Let's Talk About Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a transformative practice with life-changing benefits. Some people think that the practice of mindfulness and meditation means achieving complete silence of the mind, but mindfulness can be described more simply as maintaining awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Eight weeks of practicing mindfulness for 15 minutes per day (or more) has been proven to improve our focus, boost our creativity, help us manage our emotions and energy, neutralize strong emotions, increase our overall happiness, stimulate positive thinking, improve our sleep quality, increase our immunity, soothe our pain and suffering, balance our physical wellbeing, elevate our communication, deepen our relationships, and most importantly, practicing mindfulness helps us develop a strong and reliable self-awareness.
Daily mindfulness practice has been proven to literally change our brain for the better! Conscious awareness --including mindfulness and other forms of meditation-- improves our neuroplasticity, preserves our brain as it ages, can match the effectiveness of antidepressants in relieving depression and anxiety, and has even been shown to even change the actual volume of certain key areas of our brain. In addition to the many physical and mental health benefits of regular mindfulness practice, we can enrich our daily experiences when we're attentive to the present moment. When we step out of auto-pilot and savor the sensations of the moment we’re in, not only can we improve our negative feelings, we can find great enjoyment in our everyday tasks.
Eight weeks of practicing mindfulness for 15 minutes per day (or more) has been proven to improve our focus, boost our creativity, help us manage our emotions and energy, neutralize strong emotions, increase our overall happiness, stimulate positive thinking, improve our sleep quality, increase our immunity, soothe our pain and suffering, balance our physical wellbeing, elevate our communication, deepen our relationships, and most importantly, practicing mindfulness helps us develop a strong and reliable self-awareness.
Daily mindfulness practice has been proven to literally change our brain for the better! Conscious awareness --including mindfulness and other forms of meditation-- improves our neuroplasticity, preserves our brain as it ages, can match the effectiveness of antidepressants in relieving depression and anxiety, and has even been shown to even change the actual volume of certain key areas of our brain. In addition to the many physical and mental health benefits of regular mindfulness practice, we can enrich our daily experiences when we're attentive to the present moment. When we step out of auto-pilot and savor the sensations of the moment we’re in, not only can we improve our negative feelings, we can find great enjoyment in our everyday tasks.
To be mindful means to be aware.
Mindfulness is the practice of observing and being fully engaged with what’s happening in the present moment.
Mindfulness is the practice of observing and being fully engaged with what’s happening in the present moment.
The Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness
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Regular mindfulness practice offers incredible benefits! Eight weeks of 15 minutes per day (or more) of mindfulness has been proven to increase our overall happiness, stimulate positive thinking, strengthen our concentration, improve our sleep quality, increase our immunity and physical wellbeing, enhance our communication, deepen our relationships, boost our creativity, neutralize difficult emotions, and most importantly, practicing mindfulness helps us develop a strong and reliable self-awareness.
Daily mindfulness practice has been proven to literally change our brain for the better! Conscious awareness -including mindfulness and other forms of meditation- improves our neuroplasticity, preserves our brain as it ages, matches the effectiveness of antidepressants in treating depression and anxiety, and has even been shown to even change the actual volume of certain key areas of our brain. In addition to the many physical and mental health benefits of regular mindfulness practice, we can enrich our daily experiences when we're attentive to the present moment. When we step out of auto-pilot and savor the sensations of the moment we’re in, not only can we improve our negative feelings, we can find great enjoyment in our everyday tasks. |
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Finding Time to Practice
Just like playing to piano or doing a handstand, the more attention we put into practicing a skill, the deeper our understanding will become. Bringing our awareness to the present moment might sound trivial, but fully engaging in what’s going on within us and outside us is skill that takes plenty of practice to become experienced. We can practice mindfulness in meditation, at work, in our relationships, even when we’re just doing the dishes. We can be mindful while speaking, when listening, when we cook, read, play, and eat. We can merge mindfulness with almost all of our daily activities, because this practice enhances our overall wellbeing and makes each activity done attentively much richer and more meaningful.
“Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness concepts are meant to be ruminated on slowly and practiced repeatedly. When we practice an exercise more than once, it deepens our understanding and helps us to implement new emotional skills in the times when we would benefit from them most. These words and skills I share with you will have a very limited impact on your life if you don’t extend the practice behaviorally. Simply reading the exercise is a great start, but we must commit to taking real time to follow the instructions with our actions to achieve significant changes in how we process stress and other uncomfortable emotions.
If we feel stuck or helpless with our emotions, we simply need to practice our skills more. If we feel uncomfortable or silly with an exercise, we should probably practice until we feel at ease following through the instructions. Just like powering through the uncomfortable and awkward notes that come out of an instrument the first time we play it, we don’t let frustration or uneasy feelings deter us from dedicating time to our practice. The key to pursuing excellence with anything is to embrace a long-term organic growing process, not immediate gratification or safe, invulnerable interactions. We can always evolve our understanding, even in minutes of dedicated practice.
If we feel stuck or helpless with our emotions, we simply need to practice our skills more. If we feel uncomfortable or silly with an exercise, we should probably practice until we feel at ease following through the instructions. Just like powering through the uncomfortable and awkward notes that come out of an instrument the first time we play it, we don’t let frustration or uneasy feelings deter us from dedicating time to our practice. The key to pursuing excellence with anything is to embrace a long-term organic growing process, not immediate gratification or safe, invulnerable interactions. We can always evolve our understanding, even in minutes of dedicated practice.
We often suffer because we’ve neglected to properly tend to our emotions. We can easily act like indulgent children, constantly seeking new skills and new distractions, crying for that new fix that will make everything better, neglecting to connect for more than a moment with what we already have. In reality, we have plenty of perfectly good skills and conditions that could provide us with the joy and relief we’re seeking, but we must remember to look at what we already have.
Our experience and skill in mindfulness develops more and more each time we practice, so don’t underestimate how meaningful it is to improve performance with repetitive, receptive attention. We'll benefit greatly if we can enjoy the process of learning and use our spare time advantageously to improve and deepen our practice.
Our experience and skill in mindfulness develops more and more each time we practice, so don’t underestimate how meaningful it is to improve performance with repetitive, receptive attention. We'll benefit greatly if we can enjoy the process of learning and use our spare time advantageously to improve and deepen our practice.
Experience Mindfulness Now
Pause for a minute, and take a slow, deep breath. Focus your eyes on your present surroundings. What do you see in this moment?
Continue to breathe deeply, and tune into your ears. Concentrate on listening for things you don’t usually notice. What can you hear?
Breathe in and breathe out. Feel how your body is connected to the ground beneath you. What sensations are you experiencing in this moment?
Take another breath, then exhale slowly. Tune into your present emotions. How are you feeling in this moment?
Inhaling awareness, what is happening now in this moment?
Exhaling freedom, detach from thoughts of the past, future, or any time other than now.
Stopping, observing.
Pausing, and noting.
Keeping our attention on the present moment.
This is mindfulness.
Continue to breathe deeply, and tune into your ears. Concentrate on listening for things you don’t usually notice. What can you hear?
Breathe in and breathe out. Feel how your body is connected to the ground beneath you. What sensations are you experiencing in this moment?
Take another breath, then exhale slowly. Tune into your present emotions. How are you feeling in this moment?
Inhaling awareness, what is happening now in this moment?
Exhaling freedom, detach from thoughts of the past, future, or any time other than now.
Stopping, observing.
Pausing, and noting.
Keeping our attention on the present moment.
This is mindfulness.
When we focus like this, we may feel difficulty in keeping our attention focused and present. It takes real effort and energy to return our mind to the moment we're in, right now, when we're dwelling in the past or thinking about something to come in the future. It can feel challenging to concentrate on the present moment, but the more we do this, the more our focus will strengthen, our endurance will improve, and our awareness will become more effortless. A great way to develop our mindfulness is with regular practice and meditation. Anytime we do something while being present with that action, we’re doing that action mindfully. When we move our hands, we can do so mindfully. We can take our steps mindfully. We can choose our words mindfully. We can do things we naturally do in our daily routine mindfully. We can mindfully choose to speak to ourselves and others in a kind way. Whether we practice mindfulness of brushing our teeth or mindfulness of walking the dog, we can challenge ourselves to release from thinking of any moment other than the one we’re in right now. We stay in the present moment, because it’s the only moment we can truly touch. The capacity to dwell in the present moment offers us refuge from difficult feelings and helps us notice the subtle details of beauty and wonder that compose our natural world. Whenever we find ourselves caught up in worrying about the future or feeling lost in the past, we return to the present moment with our breathing. Breathing can be a delight when done mindfully, and other activities are extra enjoyable when done mindfully, too! There are so many positive benefits of practicing mindfulness. If we engage fully with the present moment for at least 15 minutes each day, we'll significantly elevate our mood, deepen our self-awareness, improve our overall health, and enhance the quality of our life.
Enjoying the Present Moment
When we practice mindfulness regularly, our sense of awareness will strengthen into a palpable feeling that we can carry with us. When we’ve developed our mindfulness, we can habitually tune into our inner and outer reality to embolden our connection to the present moment. We can find cues through the day to bring our attention back to our body and present surroundings. Building this habit of mindfulness will energize us, empower us, and liberate us from suffering. It’s easy to feel like our over-scheduled days have no time for self-care, but with mindfulness, we can find peace and refreshment in our breathing, our walking, and in our posture. Every activity can be done mindfully, and that gives us the amazing power to destress and rejuvenate. Simply by bringing our full attention to breathing in fresh oxygen, we can consciously release any tension we we’ve accumulated in our body and mind. Anytime you remember to inhale mindfully, try bringing your shoulders down away from your ears and relax your jaw and hands. We can touch peace in the present moment. We can touch wisdom, determination, inclusivity, appreciation, and happiness in the present moment. All we need do to stay in the present moment is to be connected to some part of our physical experience. Breathing, walking, touching, looking - there’s always some sensation we can be mindful of. Time spent mindfully will give us a new confidence from being steadily invested and engaged in the here and now.
“Do not lose yourself in the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears.
Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
One Question to Inspire Mindfulness
If we’re looking to enhance our daily experience, we can stimulate our mindfulness by asking,
“What is happening now?”
This question opens our awareness to be more perceptive of subtleties. When we’re on the lookout for what’s happening in the present moment, we’re more likely to notice the understated conditions of happiness, beauty, wonder, and artistry around us at all times.
Connect to the present moment and relax. We can enjoy observing what is happening in this moment without trying to predict what will happen in the future. After observing our external world for some time, we can close our eyes and repeat the same question, “What is happening now?”
We can observe the thoughts and feelings that enter our awareness, without getting swept away in them. We practice nonjudgmental compassion as we watch how our mind moves from one idea to another. What insights can we gain from observing our thoughts? Where does our mind bounce around to? Anytime we get too wrapped up in a thought, we gently guide our awareness back to the present moment with our breath. Then we observe what is happening in this moment, again.
Connect to the present moment and relax. We can enjoy observing what is happening in this moment without trying to predict what will happen in the future. After observing our external world for some time, we can close our eyes and repeat the same question, “What is happening now?”
We can observe the thoughts and feelings that enter our awareness, without getting swept away in them. We practice nonjudgmental compassion as we watch how our mind moves from one idea to another. What insights can we gain from observing our thoughts? Where does our mind bounce around to? Anytime we get too wrapped up in a thought, we gently guide our awareness back to the present moment with our breath. Then we observe what is happening in this moment, again.
Calming the Mind with Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness can be challenging at times, but it can also be very simple. There are many ways to practice mindfulness meditation, but there are two main aspects within our practice: stopping (pausing) and observing (looking deeply). When we stop, we’re practicing concentration. When we’re observing, we’re practicing insight. Concentrating our mind is as simple as stopping it from bouncing around from one thing to the next. We concentrate our thought process on just one thing at a time, and this is mindfulness. When we can truly be with one thing at a time, we’re able to observe it more clearly and deeply than when our attention is divided. In order to look deeply into anything, we have to stop and concentrate.
This is why mindfulness is made of both stopping and observing, because both conditions become one when we practice. The more we practice concentrating, the more profoundly we can observe. The deeper our insights, the stronger our ability to examine things (and ourselves) will become.
This is why mindfulness is made of both stopping and observing, because both conditions become one when we practice. The more we practice concentrating, the more profoundly we can observe. The deeper our insights, the stronger our ability to examine things (and ourselves) will become.
Stopping to collect our mind allows us to see more clearly.
When we’re observing, our mind naturally becomes more still.
When we’re observing, our mind naturally becomes more still.
Meditation is really that simple. We don’t need to overcomplicate our practice when our intention is to quiet and calm the mind.
“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience.
It isn’t more complicated than that.
It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.”
- Sylvia Boorstein
More Questions to Prompt Mindfulness
If we wish to deepen our self-awareness and mindfulness skills, we can dissolve unconsciousness by tuning into how we’re feeling in this present moment. We can benefit from making it a habit to check in with our emotional and mental state. We can do this more easily by training ourselves to introspect with some sort of mindfulness prompt. Here are some examples to bring our mind back to our experience in the here and now:
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“Where is my mind right now?”
“Am I at ease in this moment?” “How would I describe my presence in this moment?” “Can I touch peace in this moment?” “Is there something beautiful / wonderful / inspiring in this moment?” “Is there anything wrong with this present moment?” |
“What can I physically feel in this moment?”
"What can I hear in this moment?" “Can I notice something unique about the moment I’m in?” “What’s something meaningful to me right now in this moment?” “What would make this present moment more enjoyable?” "What is happening now?" |
Frequently Asked Questions
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MINDFULNESS
What is mindfulness?
To be mindful simply means to be aware. Mindfulness is the feeling of knowing what’s happening in the present moment. Mindfulness is a transformative practice that can help us discover deeper self-awareness, boost our confidence, and offer us a greater sense of connection with the wonderful world around us. Check out these core concepts of mindfulness here! How can I help my anxiety, addictions, anger, cravings, despair, fear, or loneliness?
Mindfulness gives us the patience, self-awareness, courage, and ease to really be our true selves. Having a strong foundation can help us feel safe to deal with insecurities, upsetting emotions, and other difficulties. When we practice mindfulness, we learn emotional regulation and our everyday stress becomes more manageable. Our overall happiness increases, we form deeper relationships, and we can find deeper meaning in each day, free of substance, craving, habit, and other emotionally-driven behavior. With a little diligence, mindfulness sharpens our focus so we may see what we need to adjust to balance our life. Studies show that daily mindfulness meditation actually reduces the density of brain tissue associated with anxiety and worrying— ultimately improving our cognition and increasing our ability to perform tasks that require focus, such as stress, anxiety, and emotional regulation. Learn more about self-regulation here! Is mindfulness a religion? What's a "sangha"?
No, mindfulness is a skill we choose to practice. A sangha is a group of people who practice mindfulness together, but we do not hold judgment for anyone who doesn’t share our views. Anyone can form a sangha, as long as they are focused on the qualities of awareness, understanding, acceptance, harmony, and love. Learn more about community and sangha here! |
MEDITATION
What is meditation? Why should I do it?
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique — such as mindfulness, breathing patterns, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity — to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear, emotionally calm, and physically stable state. Regular practice of meditation has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, high-blood pressure, and even help with insomnia. Meditation improves our concentration, breathing efficiency, overall relaxation, social connections, even increases our pain threshold. Not only can we reduce our emotional distress and improve our state of mind, we can honor our best physical health by becoming more self-aware and tuned into our body’s natural intelligence. Learn more about science-backed benefits of regular meditation here! What does meditating feel like?
It depends on what kind of meditation you practice. We can focus on deep relaxation to calm the mind and soothe a stressed body. We can practice breathing patterns for increasing energy to reduce brain fog and stimulate our nervous system. We can find emotional ease when we incorporate elements of compassion, gratitude, and loving-kindness into our practice. Some meditations may encourage a very quiet mind, free from busymindedness. Other meditations complement an active mind with repetitive mantras that consciously guide the mind. Meditation is all about exploring consciousness, tending to it gently, allowing it to rest, refresh, and refill with proper nourishment. Check out all the different kinds of meditations on this site here! If you’re looking for a certain kind of meditative experience (resolving/improving/releasing/etc) feel free to message me down below and I’d be happy to suggest something. I'm too hyper/restless to meditate.
We can calm a busy mind with enough practice. We can also focus a busy mind with complimentary meditations, such as counting meditations, walking meditations, or active meditations like drinking a glass of water mindfully. The more we practice mindfulness, the more stillness we will cultivate inside. With regular practice we’ll build strong mental muscles that can consciously detach from the planning, worrying, and processing mind. It’s valuable to balance a passionate, busy mind with calming, restful meditation. I have a busy mind myself, and I find I can think more clearly, focus for longer periods of time, and accomplish my goals with more ease when I meditate regularly. I've tried meditation and I didn't enjoy it.
I encourage you to try again. There are many different ways to meditate, and each experience is different. We can do the same meditation each day and have an entirely different experience. It may take some time to explore and find an approach that works for you, but the benefits of having a regular meditation practice in your life might be worth the initial discomfort. |