What is Mindfulness? It seems to be getting very trendy. There’seven mindfulness hipsters, the ultimate measuring stick of trendy, who, ya know, have been into mindfulness since, like, 2008, {eyeroll}. Revered Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hahn describes mindfulness as, “... the practice of being fully present and alive, body and mind united. Mindfulness is the energy that helps us to know what is going on in the present moment.” Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius described it as “Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.” Wikipedia defines it as, “the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment.” Put simply, mindfulness can be described as an awareness and appreciation of the present moment.
At its core mindfulness is the recognition that every moment is precious and in itself perfect. What makes it precious and perfect? Take a moment to consider everything that has happened in your life. All the unlikely, random events, the happy bits, the sad parts, the friendships and influences that have together shaped your view of the world and formed the experiences you refer to as life. Now think of all your ancestors, your parents and all the events in their life that led them to each other and eventually to you, and their parents and their parents and their parents and so on. Think of the borders crossed and the wars, disease and famines survived. Regardless of how you believe life began, consider for a moment that you represent an unbroken lineage of life being continually and successfully passed on from its earliest form to where you are now, reading this sentence. Consider that if any one thing however insignificant or small were different; that kid you liked in school sharing your affections, you not switching your major in college, your dad being 10 seconds later to the bus stop where he first saw your mother, your great-grandmother staying in the old country, etc. everything in your life could be completely different. You may not even exist! Consider for a moment that it is entirely possible that this time tomorrow, or next week, or in six months or 10 years you may not exist. Contemplate for a moment that each passing second is entirely unrecoverable. Once it is gone it can never be revisited or re-experienced. In fact by trying to recapture of recreate the past, even just through reflection, you must exchange the moments you have now, which you in turn lose forever. Consider that in this way time is the most valuable currency there is. By contemplating these things it is possible to begin to develop an understanding of the gravity and miracle that is the present.
What are the benefits of mindfulness? Mindfulness gives us perspective. It allows us to take a step back from the wall of our personal struggles and preoccupations and turn around to realize there is a whole room, a whole world around us. Mindfulness gives us control over our lives. It allows us to see what is going on, how we feel about it and why. It gives us the power to act with intention rather than react to things as they occur. Mindfulness reduces the trauma of past events and the anxiety over future ones. It empowers us to stop being ruled by our mind, emotions, personal history and self imposed limitations and allows us to enjoy reality and the infinite potential life represents. Mindfulness makes us more compassionate, patient and understanding. It shows us that we are no better and no worse than anyone else. Mindfulness makes us feel more connected to the world, understood and happy. It improves or relationships and enhances our feelings of self worth. Scientifically, practicing mindfulness has been proven to reduce stress, increase focus, enhance memory, lower anxiety and depression, reduce blood pressure, improve general satisfaction and help angels get their wings. Ok, maybe that last one is made up.
Ok, got it, but how does one practice mindfulness? The simplest way to practice mindfulness is by noticing things as they occur. This may sound obvious and painfully easy, but in reality it can be quite challenging. To observe the present requires us to cease being distracted by the superficial noise created by our mind. It means to abandon the influence of the past, our obsessions about the future and take each individual moment at face value. Because each moment is equally precious, perfect and impermanent. There are many ways to go about noticing. Probably the most basic one is to observe your breath. This doesn’t require you to close your eyes or get into an uncomfortable sitting position. Just wherever you are, whatever you are doing and whatever you are thinking take a second and as you inhale observe, “I am breathing in,” and as you exhale, “I am breathing out.” Do this over and over until you begin to be aware of each passing moment. Once you are aware go back to whatever you were doing or thinking. If you were walking notice, “I am lifting my right foot up. I am bending my knee. I am extending my leg forward. I am placing my foot on the ground. First my heel touches and then my toes make contact with the earth.” If you were thinking you can label your thoughts, “I am reflecting. I am worrying. I am noticing. I am appreciating. I am anticipating.” If you were working you can notice, “I am planning. I am organizing. I am stressing. I am holding a pen. I am writing. I am moving my mouse. I am clicking. I am typing.” As you begin it may be useful to set aside specific time each day to practice mindfulness. Maybe in the morning you take 5 minutes to sit still and breathe. Maybe as you make your coffee or tea at work you observe each thought and action as it unfolds. Maybe as you go for a walk or jog you practice being conscious of each step and movement. Whatever you do and however much time you set aside make it a priority to do practice regularly. Even if its only for a minute. Literally, one minute.
At first you may notice being mindful requires you to slow down. You may not walk as fast or it may take a few extra minutes to get dressed, but as you get used to being mindful eventually you will be able to return to “normal” speed. Be patient. As your mindfulness practice develops allow it to expand in time and scope to include other activities and layers of recognition. For example, when you eat take time to not only observe your breath, thoughts and actions but what the food in front of you means to you. When you see your food think of the effort it took to allow you to eat it. You went to the store, you prepared and cooked it. You placed it in a bowl. You must lift it, chew it and your body will automatically digest it. See in your food the work and resources it represents. The sun, water and nutrients that allowed it to grow. The farmer who nurtured and harvested it. The trucks and ships that transported it to a store. The store clerk who organized and stocked it, placing it on the shelf in the very same spot from which you grabbed it. Eventually with time and a whole lot of practice it is possible to be mindful in everything you do. This is what is meant when we hear stories of monks or yogis meditating 20 hours a day. They do not necessarily sit with their eyes closed for 20 hours but are mindfully aware for that time. It is even possible to be mindful in your sleep. This is where the practice of Yoga Nidra comes from.
One of the great things about mindfulness, like meditation, is that there really is only one wrong way to do it...and that is by not doing it. You can not fail. How many things in life do we wish this was true for? This is something where you are doing it perfectly every time. If sometimes you are more easily distracted than others don’t be punitive with yourself. Instead take a moment to observe your breath and remind yourself there is a reason we call it practicing mindfulness, not perfecting mindfulness.
Take some time today to enjoy the sweet, reinvigorating nectar of mindfulness. Make the commitment to yourself to practice it everyday. Returning to the present moment is always available to you if only you take the time to see its there..
Have questions, need clarification or want some help? Send me a message.
