What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to what is happening during each moment of our life.  It is the practice of becoming more aware and connected to your life as it unfolds. With mindfulness we develop the ability to let go of worries or fears about the future, let go of concerns about the past, and experience the present moment with a sense of calmness and acceptance.  Sounds impossible, right?  Well, it really isn't impossible and as you practice mindfulness you begin to notice that you enjoy moments of day a little more and this leads to wanting to practice more and finding greater peace in one's future. In a very basic way, mindfulness gives us the ability to wake up to our life and stop the automatic pilot sense we often feel when we are ultimately disconnected from our body and mind.  It is also important to keep in mind that mindfulness includes three interrelated concepts: present moment orientation, awareness of what is happening, and acceptance of what you experience.  Keep in mind that acceptance is not the same thing as approval, rather, acceptance simply means I accept that what I am experiencing is in fact what I am experiencing.  This point is important as we often judge what we are doing, ignore what we are doing, or attempt to change what we are doing.

Why is mindfulness helpful?

When we stop during our day and practice mindful awareness, we often realize that our mind and body can be in completely different places.  While taking a shower, for example, our mind might be thinking about all the tasks we need to accomplish once we leave the house or what we need to say when we encounter that person we fear.  This same disconnection of mind and body is present during most mundane tasks, including brushing our teeth, driving the car, walking around the house, or sitting at the breakfast table.  In fact, if you pay attention to the activity of your mind, you quickly realize that our mind is often off somewhere else- worrying, making plans, remembering some past problem, or passing judgment on ourself or someone else. In this way, we go through life not noticing everyday life experiences and become connected to the present moment only when the mind registers novel or particularly unpleasant experiences. You might say that this type of living sounds more like mindless vs. mindful living. Living mindlessly ultimately robs us of our experience of the present moment as it is unfolding and prevents us from enjoying some of the most enjoyable things about being alive.  Take a moment and think about how wonderful it feels to walk peacefully in a garden, smelling the flowers and hearing the birds communicate with subtle but rhythmic sounds. Learning to wake up to our life and pay attention with mindfulness represents a starting point for reducing stress and connecting our mind and body.

2.    Begin by closing your eyes or feel free to keep them open if you are walking. Allow your attention to focus on your breathing. Breathe naturally without trying to force or change your breath. Try to find the one place where you can best feel your breath. Some people can best feel the rising or falling of their chest. Others can feel the air as it moves in and out of their nostrils or over the back of their throat.

3.    Once you’ve identified the one place you can best feel your breath, allow your attention to gently settle there. Begin to watch that spot as you feel your breath move in and out of your body. See if you can notice the beginning and end of each inhalation and each exhalation. Also see if you can notice the pause between your breaths.

4.    As you focus on your breath, you will quickly notice that your mind starts to wander. When you notice that your mind has wandered, very gently let go of whatever thoughts you are having, and bring your attention back to the breath. Try to bring a quality of warmth and compassion to your attention as you refocus on your breath. The practice of mindfulness is the practice of noticing what arises, accepting without judgment whatever comes, and letting go, returning to the breath.

Suggestions for mindfulness practice in your daily life

The most important component of mindfulness is practice, in fact,  if you stop practicing your mind will quickly return to a state of searching, worrying, and becoming preoccupied by something.  As such, try to make time to practice mindfulness each day. The longer you sit in mindfulness or walk mindfully the more quickly you will begin to experience the benefits of this practice. Initially though, you may find that you need to start with very small increments of time, like five or ten minutes. For most of us, there will be days we can practice for long periods and other days where we’re lucky to find five minutes free. On your busiest days try to at least sit down and observe a few breaths. Follow the breathe for one minute and just notice how your body has learned how to self soothe.  Something as easy as a mindfulness minute during the day will help you to stay  in touch with the practice, and may help you to feel more centered during your busiest times. Mindfulness itself is fairly simple, but for most people, finding the discipline to pursue the practice is in fact quite challenging. You will see that practicing mindfulness requires that we completely shift the way we normally experience and think about our world. The good news is that these shifts occur slowly and gradually, and the only real work required of us is making the commitment to practice on a  regular basis.  Good luck   

Additional resources on mindfulness 

There are many wonderful books written about mindfulness. It can be very helpful to read books as you try to implement it in your own life.  Here are some options.

1.    Full Catastrophe Living by Jon-Kabat Zinn.        
2.    Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon-Kabat Zinn.
3.    Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana.

The Mindful Journey, PLLC
Jonathan Ravarino, PhD, LCSW
201 South. 1460 East., Rm 426
  Salt Lake City, UT 84112