Understanding Mindfulness
Have you ever driven somewhere, only to arrive without remembering much about the journey?
It is very common for most of us to be on auto-pilot as we go about our day-to-day doings, with millions of other things going on in our minds.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool we can access to bring us in to the present moment. The beauty of it is that it is secular and free to all. We need not belong to any certain group, religion or culture. We don’t need any special equipment or to wear any particular clothing. We simply need to practice. To practice, being in the present moment without distraction. Although it is simple, it does however, take time, patience and practice. Just like anything that is ever worthwhile really!
Mindfulness is a word that is thrown around everywhere these days. It has become extremely common and a buzz word over the past couple of years … but what does it really mean? What does it mean to be mindful or to practice mindfulness?
It really is quite simple; it means to pay attention on purpose in the present moment. In a world where it was once perceived necessary to multi task or at the least be constantly busy in order to get things done, we are now realising that it may in fact be quite the opposite!
The beauty of Mindfulness becoming popular is that there is so much research being done on the efficacy of it. Research has shown that in as little as 8 weeks of consistent daily mindful meditation practice the neural pathways of the brain change. Doing things on purpose with full attention has been shown to increase compassion, improve sleep, decrease stress, lower heart rate and increase general wellbeing of ones life.