What, Why and How

Introduction to Mindfulness

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What is Mindfulness?

mindfulness

noun

1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

2. a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present

moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts,

and bodily sensations

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What is Mindfulness?

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn , "mindfulness means paying

attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment,

and non judgmentally.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. is internationally

known for his work as a scientist, writer, and

meditation teacher engaged in bringing

mindfulness into the mainstream. He founded

the world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress

Reduction Clinic (in 1979), and the Centre for

Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and

Society (in 1995).

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What is Mindfulness?

Have you ever started eating a snack bar, taken a couple of bites, then noticed

all you had left in your hand was the wrapper? Or been driving somewhere and

arrived at your destination only to realize you remember nothing about your

journey? Most people have! These are common examples of "mindlessness," or

"going on automatic pilot."

In our modern, busy lives, we constantly multi task. Its easy to lose awareness

of the present moment as when we become lost in our efforts to juggle work,

home, finances, and other conflicting demands.

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Our current reality……

Our current reality is high pressured, highly distracted and overloaded with

information. It is not always possible to change our reality BUT we can change

how we perceive it, interact with it and respond to it through mindfulness.

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Why does Mindfulness help?

Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness meditation, even for just for 10

minutes a day, can bring a variety of physical, psychological, and social

benefits. Here are some of these benefits:

• Improves physical health by relieving stress, lowering blood pressure,

reducing chronic pain, improving sleep and even reducing cellular aging (yes,

it can make you look and feel younger!).

• Improves the mind by increasing the amount of grey matter and increasing

emotional intelligence, creativity, memory and focus and concentration.

• Improves wellbeing by making it easier to savour lifes pleasures, engaging

you fully in activities and creating greater capacity to deal with adverse

events

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/02/all-the-benefits-of-meditation-and-mindfulness-according-to-science/

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How do you cultivate Mindfulness?

One of the easiest places to start is to learn to manage our attention. Attention

is like a muscle. As with any muscle, it is strengthened with exercise. It is well

known now that our brains have the ability to adapt and rewire—this is called

neuroplasticity. You can change the default way that the brain works and have a

different experience of your reality through practicing mindfulness meditation.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/05/neuroscience-proves-that-meditation-works-rae-indigo/

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There are thousands of different ways to do mindfulness meditation. Explore

and see which ones work best for you. As a starting point we have created four

basic mindful meditations for you which you can listen to online or download

from the CMG Start Page:

• Relaxation, Focus and Clarity (5 mins) and a 10 minute relaxation one.

When should you do the meditations?

• It is most effective if you can create a habit of doing the meditations. Set a

time each day when you do them and commit to it. Set an alarm or link the

exercise to something else you do each day – like opening your email at the

start of your day.

• It is also great to use the meditations when you notice you are feeling

stressed. You may have just had a call with a client that didn’t go well.

Just take 5 minutes to listen to a meditation and stablise your mind and

body.

You can do any of the meditations – don’t get too concerned about choosing the

right one. Maybe rotate them for interest!

How do you do Mindfulness Meditation?

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How else can I be Mindful?

Look for ways to integrate mindfulness into your day:

• Eat mindfully – notice the sensations, tastes and feelings as you eat your lunch

• Walk mindfully – each time you get up to walk, notice how your body feels as it

moves, focus on the sensations.

• Communicate mindfully – really listen to people that are talking to you. Give

them your full attention and notice what happens.

• Slow down everything you do! Fast is not more productive. Talk slower, walk

slower, type slower – do everything with intention.

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Take Mindful STOP’s throughout your day…………

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Common Questions about Mindfulness

Do I need to be mindful 24x7?

Not unless you are a monk

Will mindfulness make me be a “doormat”

No, with mindfulness you will make more skillful decisions

I’ve been practicing for 2 weeks now, and things haven’t gotten better…what

gives?

Be patient – the way to practice is without expectations

Is the aim of mindfulness to totally quieten my mind so I am not thinking

anything?

No, with mindfulness thoughts and distractions will still happen, the difference

is that you won’t engage with them unless you choose to which conserves your

energy

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Be Kind and have FUN

Most importantly, maintain a quality of curiosity, be kind to yourself and have FUN with

your mindful practice. Drop the judgment and just observe. There is no right or wrong

way to do it. Think of it as a gift to yourself each time you do something mindful or a

mindful practice.