IT’S ALL IN THE MIND…
You have most likely heard of or read about mindfulness and practising mindful meditation, but do you know what it actually means and do you know how you put the ‘mindfulness’ into practice! Accessing information here about the power and benefits of mindfulness will help you navigate the techniques and help you to understand what you need to do out how to do it!
Explaining mindfulness…
Mindfulness is a form of gentle meditation whereby you turn your focus onto being totally ‘in the moment’. This means that you become intensely aware of what you are feeling and sensing in that moment in time, coupled with non-interpretation of the moment or judgment.
A large part of practicing mindfulness involves specific breathing methods, guided imagery and other techniques to relax your body and mind and reduce your stress levels.
We can all be a bit guilty of focusing too much of our time on problem-solving and planning or over- thinking situations and this can lead to negative or random thoughts, leaving us feeling drained and exhausted. If this leads to stress and anxiety it can leave us on a continuous loop that will becomes harder and harder to break. So, practicing mindfulness exercises will help direct your attention away from downward/negative thought processes, instead forcing you to engage fully with the present & what is around you.
Main benefits of meditation…
Studies and clinical trials have provided evidence that supports the effectiveness of meditation for a variety of conditions, such as:
- Anxiety
- Pain
- Insomnia
- Stress
- Depression
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
There has also been initial research that indicates that meditation can have a positive effect on helping people with asthma and fibromyalgia.
Meditation practices can help you understand and experience thoughts and emotions with far greater balance and also acceptance. Additionally, meditation:
- Improves attention
- Decreases burnout
- Improves sleep
- Improves diabetes control
Mindfulness: exercises & techniques…
Mindfulness can be practiced through a variety of simple exercises. Try these:
- Pay attention: When it becomes difficult to slow things right down and take proper notice of the busy world around you, try to ‘intentionally’ take time to experience the environment. Deploy all of your senses: think about touch, sound, sight, smell and taste. An example of this could be when you eat something you really like; slow down the moment by taking the time to see the food, smell it, savour it, taste it and above all, of course, enjoy it!
- Live in the moment: Again, this is all about ‘intention’ and ‘purposefully’ meaning to do something. The idea is to actively become ‘attentive’ by being open, accepting and discerning about whatever it is you are doing, which will allow you to experience pleasure in simple things.
- Be accepting of yourself: To do this, imagine you are treating yourself in the same way that you would treat a friend.
- Focus on breathing: Practice taking control of negative thoughts by sitting down, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. To be effective you need to focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale slowly. Just a few minutes every day, sitting down and breathing with ‘intention’ can make a big difference to your positivity.
There are also particular positions/exercises you can adopt to create a ‘structured mindfulness workout’:
- Body scan meditation: to do this, lie on your back with legs extended, arms by your side and your palms facing upwards. Slowly and deliberately target your attention to each part of the body, scanning down from head to toe. Take notice of any particular sensations, emotions or thoughts that are associated with each part of your body.
- Seated meditation:sitting comfortably and with your back straight, feet flat on the floor and hands in your lap, start to breathe slowly through your nose. Focus everything on the breath moving in and out of your body. If you feel interrupted during the meditation, take note of the experience, put it to one side and then return your focus back to your breathing.
- Walking meditation: best achieved on a short walk in a quiet location. Commence by walking slowly and begin to focus on the actual experience of walking, the sensation of movement and keeping your balance. At the end of the walk/path, turn round and continue walking, again always keeping that awareness of your sensations.
Practicing mindfulness?
The great thing is, simple mindfulness exercises can be practiced almost anywhere and anytime, inside or outdoors.
Try and get into a routine of setting aside some quiet time each day with as few distractions and interruptions as possible! You will find that over time, and definitely within 6 months, it will become effortless and you will start looking forward to your ‘quiet time’ as you will come to see it as the time when you nurture yourself and reconnect with body, mind and soul.
Good Luck.
