Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation is a practice that asks you to find a state of awareness and being in the present moment. It involves noticing your sensory experiences, thoughts, and emotions without judgment or attachment. Mindfulness allows you to develop a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.
Mindfulness can be a non religious or spiritual way for you to explore and grow. You will try to notice your inner and outer experiences without them catching you. Through mindfulness, we can develop a greater ability to respond rather than react to life’s challenges. This reduces stress and improves wellbeing.
You will find that mindfulness does not link to any particular spiritual or religious practice. But it can support your personal spiritual path. Mindfulness can deepen your connection to your spiritual beliefs, values, and experiences. It was firstly a practice associated with religious traditions. Such as Hinduism and Buddhism. In more recent years it has become a practice that many non-religious people do.
In mindfulness meditation, you direct our attention to the present moment, grounding yourself in the here and now. You observe our thoughts, sensations, and emotions as they arise and pass without clinging or disliking. This practice help you be less reactive and judgmental, and increases compassion and acceptance.
Importantly, mindfulness is accessible to everyone, whatever your religious or spiritual background. It is a practice you can integrateinto daily life. It influences the way we approach relationships, work, and other activities. By bringing mindfulness to our experiences, we can develop a greater sense of presence, meaning, and trust.
Although mindfulness can be beneficial for many people, it is not always helpful for everyone. For example, if you are feeling particularly distressed, mindfulness might increase your distress. Some people find mindfulness can bring difficult thoughts, feelings and memories into their awareness which can be difficult to deal with.
Read the following piece which shows what mindfulness is.
'To my mind, the idea that doing the dishes is unpleasant can occur only when you are not doing them. Once you are standing in front of the sink with your sleeves rolled up and your hands in warm water, it really is not so bad. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to go and have a cup of tea, the time will be unpleasant… Washing the dishes is at the same time a means and an end; that is, not only do we do the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do the dishes just to do the dishes, to live fully in each moment while washing them. If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of drinking the tea joyfully. With the cup in my hands, I will be thinking about what to do next, and the fragrance and the flavor of the tea, together with the pleasure of drinking it, will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment.'
Thich Nhat Hanh
Discover more:
You may want to go to the chapter Mindfulness of Daily Life’. This is in the course Lifestyle u0026amp; Recovery Series which you can find in the courses section of this website.