Mindfulness is a word that we hear used a lot in association with techniques for relaxation and stress reduction.
It’s something that people have been practicing for thousands of years, whether on its own or as part of various traditions—from Hinduism and Buddhism to Yoga – as way of understanding the mind and body as an embodied, integrated system.
Mindfulness, at its most simple definition, is being aware of our experience at any given moment without judgment.
I like to think of mindfulness as a kind of energy you generate when you bring your awareness to the present moment and observe your:
- emotional regulation
- attention regulation
- self-perception, and
- body awareness.
Meditation is a way to train ourselves to be more mindful.
Mindfulness meditation helps focus your attention on the present experience, rather than letting your thoughts direct your attention elsewhere.
As we become more attentive to the present moment, we start to notice our experience, before we react to it. Mindfulness meditation can also help us notice when our minds have started to wander, and refocus on the task at hand more easily.
Our minds wander about 47% of the time. Although this is not always necessary a bad thing; there are lots of benefits to daydreaming!
What we’re trying to do in meditation is to temper the tendency to be directed by our thoughts, to settle the mind, and develop a deeper level of personal insight.
It’s a way to make the mind more workable.
Our minds, summed up succinctly (and humorously) by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: https://www.youtube.com/embed/XW8WT_zVcPA?si=lSXVD8kcGIa7tkVU
RAYNEE DEWAR 