What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is our ability to be aware of what is happening in the present moment, as it’s happening.

Sounds simple, and in essence, it is. As human beings, we have the natural capacity to be mindful, and can likely recall times in our lives when we really felt as if we were fully present, even if just for a few moments.

We cultivate mindfulness by learning to notice and work with our attention.

Just as we might take up exercise to improve our physical health, learning mindfulness enables us to strengthen the neural pathways in our brain. As with exercise, engaging in the practice on a regular basis is the key to experiencing any benefits.

Leaf with water droplets
Hands holding a warm mug

Choosing an anchor

We start by choosing an anchor to focus our attention on. This could be something outside of ourselves – perhaps the feeling of a warm mug in our hands, something we can see or hear, if that’s available to us, like the sound of the birds outside. Or maybe an internal sensation such as the feeling of our feet on the floor or our back against the chair.

There are a whole range of different anchors we can experiment with and explore to find out what feels most supportive as we begin our mindfulness practice.

Robin in bush

Mind wandering

As we focus our attention, our mind will naturally wander away from whatever we have chosen to focus on. When we notice this, we gently and kindly choose to return our attention back to our anchor. It doesn’t matter whether we do this a few times or a hundred times during a practice, we simply keep noticing our mind wandering and returning our attention.

The actual moment of mindfulness is when we notice our mind has wandered and choose to return it to our anchor.

This is how we develop the attentional muscles in our brain.

Hands washing kale in a sink

Everyday mindfulness

We can also bring a moment to moment awareness into our everyday lives, dropping into our senses as we engage in everyday activities.
We may be aware of the temperature of the water on our hands as we wash vegetables, the sound of the kettle boiling, or the colour of a tree as we look out of the window.

There are lots of easy and effortless ways we can bring mindfulness into our everyday life.

As we become more aware, we cultivate a deeper presence with our own experience of how it is to be human and how we interact with others. We become more familiar with the lens through which we view the world, and create more choice for ourselves in how we respond to situations in our life.

“I joined the course to gain practical tools for mindfulness. I found it helpful to try a variety of different techniques to support mindfulness and becoming more present. I still do the mindful sip, and my walking and stick throwing is more pleasant. In a morning, I now have a fully focused cuddle with my pooch, rather than doom scrolling.”

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