Mindfulness, or mindfulness training, is a way to stop and free ourselves from a flurry of thoughts. In a world of rushing and constant action, we feed our minds with an enormous amount of information. On the one hand, it relates to our private, professional lives, but on the other, it involves a wide range of outside content – from pop culture, politics, or simply the lives of friends and neighbors. If you feel that your mind is overloaded with this – it is essential to learn about mindfulness.
Mindfulness, what is it?
Mindfulness from the translation means attentiveness, presence, or in short, being in the here and now. It’s a practice based on mindfulness exercises, conscious breathing and meditation. The goal is to find inner peace. The form of mindfulness being discussed, comes from Buddhist traditions. The creator of the most popular definition of mindfulness is Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Zinn defines mindfulness as Mindfulness from the translation means attentiveness, presence, or in short, being in the here and now. It is a practice based on mindfulness exercises, conscious breathing and meditation. The goal is to find inner peace. The form of mindfulness being discussed, comes from Buddhist traditions. The creator of the most popular definition of mindfulness is Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society. Zinn defines mindfulness as “a state of consciousness resulting from intentionally and non-judgmentally directing attention to what we are experiencing in the present moment.”
Mindfulness training – for whom?
To whom is mindfulness practice dedicated? To everyone. Because everyone, unless they are already practicing forms of mindfulness in the moment, experiences stressful situations. This form of tranquility is especially recommended for people who have difficulties in dealing with negative emotions, professional burnout, constant fatigue, life in a hurry. Anyone of any age can practice, it’s an exercise for young and old, anyone who needs respite.
Meditation and mindfulness exercises
Now that we know the definitions and theories related to mindfulness, it’s high time to move on to practice. Mindfulness training doesn’t require us to meditate for hours, lock ourselves away in seclusion, or renounce daily pleasures. On the contrary, in fact, we can spend just a few minutes a day deepening our conscious abiding in the moment. Of course, we can extend the time depending on our needs. How to meditate in mindfulness?
Meditation in a minute
The foundation of almost any tranquility technique is the breath. Find a place where you can sit quietly, close your eyes and allow your breath to flow peacefully through you. Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth feel how your body behaves as your chest and abdomen rise, during this short practice. Don’t dwell on the thoughts or images in your head let them pass peacefully. This short exercise alone, which you can extend at your discretion, will catch your inner balance and calm your thoughts. Practice when you want and for how long you want. It’s worth doing this exercise also before the deeper practices you’ll find later in this article.
Savor the moment
This interesting exercise, will allow you to enjoy taking pleasure in everyday activities, like eating. During a meal, take your time. Allow yourself to feel fully what you are eating. Whether it’s a snack, fruit or a complicated dish. Pay attention to the smell, the taste, the texture of the dish, chew and chew carefully and calmly. Experience the food as if there is nothing in the moment except this moment of eating. Because that’s what mindfulness is all about. Your attention is focused on one object. Developing the habit of mindful eating is a great exercise for those who usually eat in a hurry.
Let go of thoughts
In consciously experiencing the moment, thoughts will arise. Only, at the exact moment you are practicing with your breath or eating a plum, do you have to think about what you will do in an hour or tomorrow? This only interferes with the mindfulness process, and is completely unnecessary. Try to be in the now. When negative thinking or various fears arise in your mind, don’t nurture them with your attention. Let them go, let them flow. Most of our fears are untrue, so keep repeating in your mind that this thought is not true. Eventually it will subside.
Abide in silence
The world can sometimes be very noisy. Even going to the forest, you won’t avoid any sound, although just going to the forest and listening to it is a beautiful practice. However, the silence we talk about in mindfulness is not the silence outside us, but inside. As you persist in mindfulness, your surroundings will affect you less and less. You will see that even in the midst of city noise you can abide in mindfulness. Catch a bird singing, notice a lonely flower, delight in the color of a honking car. Mindfulness is seeing things as they are without judging them.
Mindfulness is a beautiful practice that can start with short breath meditations until it eventually becomes an inseparable part of your perception of reality. It will help you reduce stress, relax, expand your perception and understand that every moment is a moment for you.