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Introduction to Mindfulness

02/05/2011

Mindfulness is a different way of relating to our internal private events (thoughts, feelings/emotions and bodily sensations). The concepts of mindfulness originate from eastern philosophy particularly Buddhism but mindfulness itself is not a religion.

 

Have you noticed how we tend to push away our negative internal experiences but often try to intentionally hold on to and prolong pleasant experiences and long to experience them again and again.

 

These attempts to control our emotions and responses are unhelpful as we are allowing our mind to control us and not experiencing the present as it is. In mindfulness practice we intentionally put aside the tendency to focus on some aspects of our experience and push away others. Instead we let our experience be what it is and practice observing it from moment to moment.

 

Letting go is a way of letting things be and accepting things as they are. By not interfering and letting things be, you give your emotions and thoughts a chance to go. In other words you gain control by letting go of trying to be in control. Note that letting go is not really such a foreign experience. Each night when we go to sleep, we let go of our mind and body.

 

If you can't let go you can't sleep. So if you can sleep you are already an expert in letting go. Mindfulness is practicing the skill of letting go in waking situations.

 

To practice mindfulness we observe our thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations none judgementally in the here and now. In this way we focus on the moment as it really is and not on the story that our mind is telling us about the experience. This 'pure' experience can be like experiencing every day events as if it were the first time that we have ever experienced them.

 

If you have been going through your life mindlessly it may be that you have never actually noticed that your mind is continually telling you stories about your experiences. One of the problems with allowing our minds to take control of how we view our experiences and how we react to our experience is that it filters and distorts things through the past and so does not give a true picture of what the experience is actually like. Often our minds tell us stories about an event or experience before they've even happened. This completely distorts the event when it actually happens and may even prevent us from attending the event. You may find the concept of mindfulness strange don't worry this is often the case. As you practice structured exercises and begin using mindfulness practice in your everyday life things will become clearer and you will find yourself doing the exercises without too much difficulty.

 

The important thing is to be willing to try them and see what happens. As you increasingly adopt mindfulness practice you will find that over time your mind feels less cluttered and even in some cases less 'blank' and your concentration and memory will improve considerably.

 

Have a go you've got nothing to lose and lots to gain. At the life u want we'll show you how.