About Mindfulness

About Mindfulness

Many of us live “in our heads” a lot of the time, going about our work and leisure on autopilot while our attention is elsewhere; meaning that we are rarely fully present, leading to problems such as lack of efficiency and concentration, to stress, anxiety and depression; we may engage in unhelpful “knee jerk” reactions when faced with difficulties. By practising Mindfulness we can learn to come off autopilot and respond in a calmer and more balanced way to whatever life throws at us.

Jon Kabat-Zinn describes Mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally”:

Paying attention:

  • “on purpose”: Mindfulness involves a conscious direction of our awareness. We notice the mind wandering, and purposefully bring our attention back to the here and now. Being purposeful is a very important part of mindfulness: staying with our experience means that we actively shape our mind.
  • “in the present moment”: Left to itself, the mind wanders through thoughts , meaning we reinforce the emotions attached to them; we cause ourselves suffering. These thoughts are mainly about the past (sometimes leading to rumination) and future (sometimes with anxiety) The present moment seems to be the one we avoid. By using Mindfulness we cultivate “present moment awareness”. When we think about the past or the future we are aware we are doing so. We use an anchor, such as sounds, concentrating on the breath, counting or looking at a pebble and bring ourselves back to it, creating space where contentment can grow.
  • “non-judgmentally”: We simply experience what we are experiencing, without labelling it as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

A few sessions of Mindfulness can show you how to change your life and help you learn to:

  • become more proactive, effective and inspired in the workplace
  • improve your ability to process information, increasing clarity and insight
  • improve the overall quality of your life, becoming happier and healthier
  • strengthen your immune system and improve emotional regulation
  • cope with stress, depression, rumination, worry and anxiety