What is Mindfulness Meditation?
Do you ever wish life or work was less stressful? Less rushed?
Mindfulness may be your answer.
There are now many definitions of mindfulness. Jon Kabat-Zinn, regarded as a leading authority on it here in the West, defines it as
“..paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present
moment, and non-judgmentally”
But what is it – really?
Mindfulness is like an awareness game – you are the protagonist of the game, checking in to the things you notice with focus and attention. It is about being actively mindful – consciously mindful. It’s likely to be new to you so, as with any new game, it may feel challenging. And what’s a game if it doesn’t have some challenge?
You may have found yourself saying “Be mindful of that.” This suggests that you will pay more close attention to the thing you’re referring to.
Mindfulness is somewhat like that – paying conscious attention to doing nothing (just being) or to the task you are doing. Actively paying conscious attention.
Let’s dig deeper. Mindfulness is about engaging with awareness with oneself to acknowledge what is happening in the present moment, that is, right now, without assumptions or judgements.
We are only ever really living in the “now”, the current moment, but it passes us by as we are often on auto-pilot in life, typically feeling and behaving “very busy.” We are not accustomed to thinking in “present moment time.” From a young age, society, culture or school has tended to encourage us to think about our futures or about how the past has made us who we are.
Our minds can therefore be in the past or future, worrying or thinking, or even making things up unconsciously, about both. Our minds are busy. I often hear clients say they feel overwhelmed, cannot stop worrying or are experiencing “monkey mind.”
But we still worry over it But we often ignore it But we still worry about it
If you’re reading this and want to calm the mind and enjoy the benefits that mindfulness meditation can bring, then the best way to understand it is to try it – without any assumptions or judgement.
Mindfulness allows you, when mastered, to live and be in the here and now. You won’t even need to be mindful 100% of the time but being able to tap into this amazing tool, can bring great calmness as well as energy and awareness.
As I’ve indicated, this is not necessarily and easy concept to grasp in adulthood. Respectfully it is something we are far from used to in daily life and, therefore, it can “feel” hard to begin with. Do not judge yourself if it is hard to begin with, that is natural – would you be able to play a new instrument with no teaching and practice? Practice enables us to get comfortable with it.
Mindfulness meditation and other mindful activities enable you to explore a new way of life. With commitment and practice, you can learn to
find inner calm and relaxation
manage stress
experience greater balance
improve self-awareness
have greater focus
enjoy more of a sense of control
enhance resilience
develop emotional management
have more effective decision making processes and thoughts
If you wish to try mindfulness, I encourage you to come with an open mind. Let go of judgements – of yourself and of the mindfulness practice. Just be. This may take time to adjust to and is totally natural if mindfulness meditation is new to you.
Experiencing mindfulness meditation through practice (training) is the best way to understand what it is and its potential for you.
I am offering new clients, a special opportunity to experience 1:1 mindfulness with coaching.
Clients have
expressed how this provides the perfect space for learning and asking those questions they may otherwise feel unable to. You’ll get a workbook so you can practice at home and audio recordings. For my 4 week one to one course over Skype, contact anita@anitagohilthorp.com now – mention this article to get 20% of the £189 price.