Mindfulness — Mindfully

Mindfulness means being more aware of your experience as it happens, with an attitude of openness and friendliness. So as you are reading these lines you can feel the contact of your feet with the floor, and be aware of the weight of your body. But most of the time we live in autopilot, either dwelling in the past or worrying about the future: on average, we spend 46.9% of our waking hours thinking about something other than what we are doing, and this can have an emotional cost.

The good news is that mindfulness training rewires your brain to be more focused on the present and turn down the inner critic. Neuroplasticity of course does not happen overnight, and that is why it is key to establish and sustain a regular mindfulness practice.

mindfulness is for everyone

Everyone can benefit from practicing mindfulness. Many people sign up for a course because they feel out of balance in their lives and they want to do something about it. They may be experiencing physical stress-related symptoms and would like to learn how to relate differently to stressful situations, or dealing with physical illnesses or challenging events in their lives and want to learn to cope better. And others may simply want to increase their overall wellbeing and live their lives more fully. Whatever your reason is for getting started, you will enjoy the benefits of a regular practice.

Mindfulness is not a quick fix. Your life will not change overnight miraculously. But with time you will develop techniques to help you cope with the challenges of modern life in healthier, more constructive ways. As Jon Kabat Zinn says: you cannot stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

'THIS IS THE REAL SECRET OF LIFE — TO BE COMPLETELY ENGAGED WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN THE HERE AND NOW. AND INSTEAD OF CALLING IT WORK, REALIZE IT IS PLAY.'

- Allan Watts -

Benefits of mindfulness

In mindfulness practice we aim to develop awareness, and this helps us to enjoy and savour our lives more fully.

Researchers in the fields of neuroscience and psychology have found evidence of the wide variety of benefits mindfulness can bring, such as improved general well-being, decreased stress and anxiety levels or enhanced creativity and emotional intelligence. Moreover, NICE (the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) also recommends mindfulness and meditation as a frontline treatment for certain conditions because of its demonstrated benefits.

The scientific evidence and clinical research that underpins mindfulness shows positive effects on:

' Mindfulness isn't difficult.

we just need to remember to do it.'

- Sharon Salzberg -

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF A COURSE

Mindfulness is a natural capacity we all have to some extent and, with practice, we can improve it.

What will work best for you will depend on three elements: yourself, your teacher and the format of the training.

Yourself

Just as you wouldn’t do weight lifting with an injury and would opt for stretching or physiotherapy instead, how you feel before starting your mindfulness training will determine the benefits of it. For example, if you have experienced a significant recent loss or major life changes, an 8-week course might not be the right option for you in this moment. A qualified teacher will help you find the best option for you at this time.

Your Teacher

As mindfulness becomes more mainstream more people will present themselves as mindfulness teachers. Make sure they have the relevant teaching qualification that meets the requirements of the UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teachers good practice guidelines for teaching mindfulness-based programmes, and that they can teach what they teach. Confirm at the very least where and for how long they have trained, and whether they work under supervision.

Your Traning

If you’re feeling low and have no previous meditation experience, but throw yourself into a 10-day silent retreat, chances are it will not be helpful for you. If you have no previous experience you can start with a taster session or enroll in an 8-week course that will introduce you gradually and safely to meditation, and if you have fallen out of practice a top up program will help you get back on track. A qualified teacher will assist you in finding what will be most useful to you at each point in time.