What is Mindfulness?
"Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally"
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness can be described as being completely awake, fully and deliberately alive, moment by moment to what is happening within us and around us. Mindfulness helps us to stop living on ''automatic-pilot', freeing us from mental and emotional ruts, undermining our compulsive habits. It helps us to stay calm and make sane and creative choices. To be mindful is turn up and live our lives, moment by precious moment.
Mindfulness practice is about staying in touch with our experience, whatever it actually is in the present moment - warts and all - without embellishment or judgement, so that we can meet what life throws at us without stress and drama. It's not necessarily about being happy all the time; life just isn't like that. It's about being realistic, making sane choices and handling life more calmly, without fuss.'give up the struggle with what is'.
To take an everyday example from the dimension of stress, next time you find yourself in a frenzy because you can't find your car keys, try stepping back for a moment to see how much extra stress you're adding to the situation, how busy your mind is with thoughts like: 'Oh, not again!' 'How could I be so stupid?' 'Why do I keep doing things like this?' On and on it spins, not helping at all - until we find the keys and get back on with our day - but now feeling exasperated and wrung out. It can come as a liberating surprise to discover how much of the adrenaline-fuelled stress we so often feel is something we've added to the situation ourselves - without even meaning to, and without helping the situation a bit.
To open a gap between the flow of experience and the way our mind reacts to it takes practice. But it can be done. Mindfulness is not magic, but it can have an almost magical effect; it is a skill that can be learned and developed by anyone whatever their religious or cultural background.
This is why Mindfulness has found solid respect as a therapy for a number of conditions. Outside of the therapeutic context, the power of mindfulness to open new pathways in the mind and to challenge habit-based thinking and limiting views is highly suited to the fast-changing world of business, enhancing creativity, teamwork and openness to challenge.
Mindfulness will help you to:
Mindfulness practice is about staying in touch with our experience, whatever it actually is in the present moment - warts and all - without embellishment or judgement, so that we can meet what life throws at us without stress and drama. It's not necessarily about being happy all the time; life just isn't like that. It's about being realistic, making sane choices and handling life more calmly, without fuss.'give up the struggle with what is'.
To take an everyday example from the dimension of stress, next time you find yourself in a frenzy because you can't find your car keys, try stepping back for a moment to see how much extra stress you're adding to the situation, how busy your mind is with thoughts like: 'Oh, not again!' 'How could I be so stupid?' 'Why do I keep doing things like this?' On and on it spins, not helping at all - until we find the keys and get back on with our day - but now feeling exasperated and wrung out. It can come as a liberating surprise to discover how much of the adrenaline-fuelled stress we so often feel is something we've added to the situation ourselves - without even meaning to, and without helping the situation a bit.
To open a gap between the flow of experience and the way our mind reacts to it takes practice. But it can be done. Mindfulness is not magic, but it can have an almost magical effect; it is a skill that can be learned and developed by anyone whatever their religious or cultural background.
This is why Mindfulness has found solid respect as a therapy for a number of conditions. Outside of the therapeutic context, the power of mindfulness to open new pathways in the mind and to challenge habit-based thinking and limiting views is highly suited to the fast-changing world of business, enhancing creativity, teamwork and openness to challenge.
Mindfulness will help you to:
- Feel more fully and richly alive - moment by moment
- Think and communicate more clearly and effectively
- Discover that stress and anxiety are optional
- Free yourself from, 're-active' impulses and habit patterns
- Recognise and challenge unhelpful thoughts and beliefs.
- Develop safe and positive ways of dealing with chronic mental or physical pain
Mindfulness Makes News
Click here to read The Times article in full
 The Times, 5th January 2010
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