What is mindfulness, anyway

1. What is mindfulness, anyway? You’ve probably heard the term ‘mindfulness’ –it’s a huge buzzword nowadays, with products you can buy to help you stay mindful, or mugs to remind you to have a mindful moment. But what actually is it? One of the most widely accepted definitions for mindfulness, attributed to the founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program Job Kabat-Zinn, is: “Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Mindfulness is a way of being in which you are awake and aware of the present moment. The hope with mindfulness practice is to pay attention to whatever comes up in the present moment; allow it to rise and fall of its own accord, without trying to change anything; and be with things as they are. Easier said than done! We are often pulled away by our thoughts and emotions – ruminating, judging, criticizing; swept away by fear or anger. We are rarely present. Often, instead, we are caught up in a constant state of reaction. A stimulus occurs, we immediately react. Typically, that first ‘knee-jerk’ reaction is our conditioned or habitual response, which may not always be the most helpful to us. How often are you “here and now” versus thinking about the past or caught up in thinking about the future? We also live in a world of constant distraction. With our devices buzzing, flashing, ringing at us, advertisements directed toward us 24 hours a day telling us how much we lack, and trying to scramble to balance all we need to accomplish in one day – it can be impossible to be present. So how does mindfulness help? Often we’re on ‘auto-pilot’, which causes us to interpret and react to situations based on ingrained habits, which may or may not be effective. ‘Auto-pilot’ may also cause us to ignore important emotional or physical messages that need to be attended to. Lastly, ‘auto-pilot’ keeps us in a perpetual cycle of ‘reacting’ (knee-jerk, automatic habits), instead of ‘responding’ (a more calm, careful, and considered approach). The practice of mindfulness helps us in several ways. First, by becoming more aware of our reactions, we can first determine what stress is controllable versus uncontrollable. Then we know whether we either need to problem solve (controllable stress) or soothe our emotional reactions (uncontrollable stress). Worrying about the past, worrying about what might happen in the future, or getting lost in thoughts and concerns causes you to miss the only time you can actually live in – now. We can change our stress reactions by becoming aware of them and recognize them as they occur: the how, when, and why they show up in your life. Second, mindfulness practice can allow us to become more accepting of things as they actually are. We spend an awful lot of time in ‘not wanting’ –‘it shouldn’t be this way,’ ‘they shouldn’t act this way,’ ‘I don’t want things to be this way.’ By accepting things exactly as they are, in this moment, we can begin to disengage from intense emotions and ruminative thinking. It’s important for me to mention thanacceptance is not giving up or being passive. Acceptance allows us to become fully aware of difficulties and, if appropriate, to respond in a skillful way rather than to react in our knee-jerk habits, automatically using some of our old (often, unhelpful) strategies for dealing with challenges. How do you do it? There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Some may think of mindfulness as meditation, and yes, meditation practice can be a form of mindfulness. However, we

2. always have the option of paying attention to what is happening in the present moment. This is considered informal mindfulness practice. You can always stop and tune in to your breath, notice your bodily sensations, and choose to slow down and fully engage in your activities with awareness and acceptance – try this with everyday activities like eating a meal, brushing your teeth, or washing the dishes. Formal mindfulness practice involves setting aside a time and committing to a specific meditation practice. Formal practice teaches discipline and ensures that you put in the time to learn a new skill. It can take weeks or months of practice before you have consistent present-moment awareness over a long period of time. Mindful movement can be a great option for people who struggle to be still. Yoga and Tai Chi are well known examples of mindful movement, but you can be mindful with any type of movement. Bring a sense of present minded focus to any physical activity you enjoy and observe what a different experience it can be! Ready to try it out? Feel free to check out my guided meditations available on Soundcloud, or take the plunge and sign up for a course!