What Is Mindfulness < back to home
Paying attention
In a particular way
To the present moment
On purpose
Without judgement
As the experience of each moment unfolds
Mindfulness creates space for reflection
Mindfulness creates space, changing impulsive reactions to thoughtful responses.
Through mindfulness practices, we help to grow this space, enabling new, wiser responses that improve attention, learning, emotional regulation, empathy, and conflict resolution.
Mindfulness is about being more present in our lives, stronger, more capable. When mindful, it is possible to act from strength, heart and wisdom.
Through mindfulness practices, we help to grow this space, enabling new, wiser responses that improve attention, learning, emotional regulation, empathy, and conflict resolution.
Mindfulness is about being more present in our lives, stronger, more capable. When mindful, it is possible to act from strength, heart and wisdom.
The Purpose of Paying Attention to Your Life
As we become more mindful of the experiences in our life, we expand our perspective on who we are and on our relationship to the world. The practice might even inspire us to reflect more deeply on and develop greater confidence in our own body and mind, and to know ourselves as a wholly integrated thinking, feeling and socially interacting being.
Life is a series of moments.
Here are some lessons when you notice the “moments of your life”:
- How to shift from automatic-pilot (human-doing) to ‘being’ mode (human-being)
- How to make time for yourself
- How to slow down and nurture calmness and self-acceptance in yourself
- How to observe what your mind is up to from moment to moment
- How to watch your thoughts and how to let go of them
- How to free yourself from getting caught up and driven by your thoughts
- How to make room for new ways of seeing old problems
- How to perceive the wholeness (interconnectedness) of things
The Practices of Mindfulness
Jon Kabat-Zinn, the medical doctor who founded Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction over 30 years ago, emphasizes that mindfulness is a way of living one’s life. Mindfulness is an on-going practice that integrates everyday mindfulness with formal meditation practices.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing (conscious, deep breathing)
- Breathing Breaks (short periods of time with full awareness to the breath)
- Body Scan (awareness to the sensations and experience of the physical body)
- Mindful Eating (awareness to the sensations and action of eating)
- Mindful Movement (shifting attention into physical movement with awareness)
- Observing thoughts without judgement (noticing the coming and going of thoughts)
