Yeah, I wondered the same thing! 

​

At first, my understanding of mindfulness was not clear.  I thought it was about meditating and clearing the mind of thoughts.  Well, while meditation most often is part of mindfulness, I learned that it is so much more!

 

Mindfulness is a practice and is much simpler and more accessible than trying to achieve perfect stillness or a mind clear of distracting thoughts or worries.  Mindfulness is paying attention.  Paying attention on purpose.  Purposefully paying attention to each moment as it passes with complete awareness of what is happening in the present - good or bad. 

 

"The present moment" refers to "now" and all that is happening at that moment.  It is simply noticing and embracing whatever is present as you engage with yourself, in your daily activities, your surroundings, or others.  It is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where you are and what you are doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you. 

 

It’s maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surroundings and tuning into what you’re sensing in the moment. Instead of disavowing your busy mind or disconnecting from the world, you bring awareness and acceptance to the complexity of your experiences.

​

We can all become more mindful in our lives by simply changing the way we think, feel, and react to life challenges. And, the beauty of mindfulness is that it can be practiced at any moment, wherever you are!  For example, you can mindfully observe the pace of your breath while in a work meeting, slowly eat your breakfast notice the food you are eating, or even while standing in line notice your feet on the ground and your thoughts.

​

So in other words, mindfulness is a state of mind.  

​

"Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it." - Sharon Salzberg

 

The tricky part? It is a skill that doesn't come naturally to us. Especially in our busy, fast-paced lives.  More and more, it is becoming challenging to slow down and when we do, the resonating "noise" in our minds can be difficult to sit with.  Ironically, the more you need quiet, the harder it seems to access.  

 

Furthermore, we learn very little about awareness and inner calmness.  We are "aware" in our waking hours, but only of the things we choose to pay attention to, like for example, the others around us, the task at hand, or the things we worry about.  The awareness I speak of though is a deep inner awareness.

​

Mindfulness can help us become more aware of our mind and body without getting stuck in the stories we tell ourselves and in self-criticism and judgments.  Mindfulness helps us explore our inner depths, and identify our strengths and inner resources all of which help us gain control over our destructive feelings, thoughts, and beliefs and is right here to bring us back to where we are and what we are doing.  Sounds pretty amazing eh?

​

Check out my blog and podcast for more!