Mindfulness, meditation and conscious practices: a short insight into mindful living.
Its practice can be traced back to ancient civilizations, and it is no wonder that mindfulness has resurfaced in the last years. Recent studies have attested the striking healing powers that consistent mindfulness practice can produce in our lives. Not only does it transform positively our response to physical stress by strengthening and empowering our brain to make better decisions, but it can considerably improve our sleep quality and emotional regulation.
Mindfulness is a remarkable restorative gem that we can all access with attention, a few moments of dedication per day, and without spending a dime. Sounds too good to be true? Let's have a look at the origins of mindfulness and embrace the beautiful revolution it can create in all the dimensions of our lives.
What are the origins of mindfulness?
Photo by THÁI NHÀN
While mindfulness is originally a Buddhist tradition, that has become secularized and modernized with the West. The Buddhist Pali Canon dates from around 500 BC and holds numerous teachings devoted to mindfulness practice. The sutras in this canon are the oldest known mindfulness teachings.
Mindfulness is a multi-disciplinary practice: you can find its application in yoga, qi gong, and tai chi chuan as well as mindfulness meditation practices found in various religious groups for centuries.
Photo of Jon Kabat-Zinn by Masterclass program
It was first brought into mainstream medicine in 1979 by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn who started his mindfulness research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School which led to him founding MBSR – Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programmes.
So what is mindfulness and how can we benefit from it?
Mindfulness can be described as the awareness of our own thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations from moment to moment without judgement or criticism. In order to live in mindfulness we need to clear out all distractions which prevent us from being present-minded. It's focusing on what you're doing with your whole awareness (senses, sensations) whether it be eating a meal or drinking your morning coffee, to savouring every taste bud experience. But is doesn't stop here.
Mindfulness finds its applications in many areas of our lives. A mindful person is someone who knows how to live in the present moment instead of dwelling on past experiences or being anxious about future events. This doesn't mean you have to eliminate all your plans and goals for the future but it does require enough self-awareness to not let them impact you at a deep level, regardless of the outcome.
“I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
When we are fully aware of what is happening around us, we learn to apprehend our environment as a whole, take that step back and learn to respond instead of reacting. When you have a difficult conversation, mindfulness is taking that breath not to lash out to your interlocutor, and listen to what they want to say as if you were listening to them for the first time.
What is the difference between meditation and mindfulness?
Although Mindfulness and meditation are often used as interchangeable words with similar meanings, they are not. Mindfulness can be experienced as the balance between focus and awareness, the engaging process of the whole mind and body into the present moment, without judgment.
Meditation or conscious breathing techniques are "formal" practices of mindfulness, as it requires setting a time and dedicate oneself to the practice. If mindfulness was an acronym it would be M-I-D, that is mindfulness in everyday life activities, not just meditating on a mat or cushion for hours at end. Mindfulness can take place while walking down the street, washing dishes and even answering emails!
Once we start practicing mindfulness with consistency and with our full attention, we train our brain to take that pause and focus on what really matters.
How to apply mindfulness in daily life ?
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Remembrance: You probably get out of your house everyday, at the same hour, and engage in the same daily mechanisms, close the windows, feed the cat, water the plants and get out. But suddenly you wonder, did I turn off the tap in the bathroom? Did I lock the door? This is your subconscious-self in action, getting out of autopilot and bring back your attention to what matters. This is what we practice in mindfulness meditation, by bringing back the attention to the breathe for example.
TIP : To practice this consciously, and not to feel overwhelmed when you forget, you can keep a little amulet or reminder on you to help you remember. I like to carry a quartz stone with me to remind me to be more mindful.
TIP2: Put post-its in your house, to remind you how great you are, intentions or positive notes. This can positively impact your day!
Noticing the world around you: Taking the usual way to your favourite coffee, when you notice the sun shining and think: “Beautiful weather!”. Or this colourful building you never paid attention to.
Non-identification with thoughts and emotions: mindfulness is not about changing anything nor trying to understand, digging into your story to find evidence or proof to justify an emotion. Mindfulness just simply acknowledges what is. It can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings without letting them control you.
TIP : When we feel a burst of anger or sadness, we tend to identify with the emotion and let it define us "I am angry" or " I am sad". By doing this we can reinforce our attachment to an emotion and cause emotional blockages. Mindfulness assist you to see an emotion or a thought for what it is. Next time, when a negative feeling or emotion surfaces rather say "Fear has come", "Sadness is here".
Practice Gratitude: You probably heard this thousands of times. Yet the power of gratitude is still underrated. It instigates positive feelings and emotions that help you build resilience overtime and see the world from a place of abundance. Again consistency is the key.
TIP : I generally practice my gratitude moment on Sunday evenings to give myself a great boost for the beginning of the week. I list the events that brought me joy that past week, the friends I met, what I learnt and what made me hopeful. In this moment, I acknowledge the feeling that those moments bring into my life.
The connection between what I write down and what I feel is really important, this helps your mind to communicate with your body and create positive experiences. At last I write about what I am looking forward for the following week and what achievements would bring me satisfaction. During the week I remind myself by regularly reading the lists.
Meditation
Mindful breathing is a very basic yet powerful mindfulness meditation practice. The idea is simply to focus your attention on your breathing—to its natural rhythm and flow and the way it feels on each inhale and exhale. “Breathing is massively practical,” says Belisa Vranich, “It’s meditation for people who can’t meditate.”
Try in out for a few minutes every morning, and as soon as you feel comfortable, increase the time gradually. To reap the benefits of breathing meditation I recommend to use apps, or Youtube guided meditation, so your attention can solely be focused on your practice.