Simply Mindfulness

2^nd Nov 2016

Mindfulness seems to be in fashion right now, and like anything in fashion, everyone wants to have a go, to see what it's like or just in case they get left behind, or appear not to know what's going on these days. As with any 'new' activity, it often gets presented as a bit of a challenge, something to be worked at, or strived for.

Mindfulness is not something to be achieved. It is simply a way of being. It's how we all used to be as children, when we had a toy in our hands, and spent time turning it over and over, noticing every part of it, looking at its colour, feeling it, listening to the noise it made, having a chew of it, being completely absorbed in the moment of that toy in our hands. This is being mindful.

While we are tearing around in our fast-paced world, we tend to be re-living the past, or having concerns about the future . Re-visiting the past can offer an enjoyable memory or a lesson or two on how to do something a different way, but the past is history and we can't move forward if we're stuck back there. As for the future, it is our present that determines our future, and if we're busy stressing-out, worrying, feeling negative or fearing, what sort of future is this type of 'present' going to create for us?

There are some useful techniques and structures to relieve stress, reduce worry, think positively and embrace change rather than fearing the unknown, and the first step in all these is being mindful.

Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening at this very moment. Don't analyse it, or form an opinion of it. Just be in the moment. It is something that you can do, by yourself, right now. And while you are in the moment, you will not be re-living the past or thinking about the future.

So take a deep breath, drop those shoulders and say to yourself: It is now, and I am here.

Then experience the moment, using all of your five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell.

So the next time you are waiting in a queue, or sitting on a bus, be in the moment. Say to yourself: What can I see? Look around you. Notice specific things. Note their colour, shape, structure, how many. What can I touch? Feel the seat, what it is made of, whether it is hard or soft, cold or warm, rough or smooth...

It is as simple as this... Enjoy it.