Mindfulness…

Have you ever through of the meaning of the word mindful or what does mindfulness mean?
A lot will say that being mindful means that you are being aware of things, dealing with the matter with utmost awareness, that you have thought of it from all aspects… well yea that might be one meaning to it, and there is a deeper meaning for it… it’s actually derived from the practice of mindfulness. So what is the definition of mindfulness or the practice of mindfulness?

According to a wikipedia source; Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment, a skill that one develops through meditation or training.

So in simple words mindfulness is the practice of being present, at the moment, feeling, hearing, seeing & experiencing where you are with an open mind and a warm heart, without any expectations or judgment. It’s a form of Meditation… and the reality is that we practice meditation without us even knowing, and the moment we become aware of it our ego comes in and tries to distracts us from the serenity that we were experiencing to fill our minds with thoughts, whatever thoughts that will do the job of distracting us from being where we are.

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn

Practicing mindfulness will help you in becoming a better doer, it will help you in avoiding conflicts as when faced with a situation you will be able to see what is happening and be present at the same time, so you will act instead of react. You will be more in peace and will have better hold of yourself and a better understanding of what outcome you want. You will see beyond what others might see because you are experiencing the situation without any expectation or judgement.

So we can achieve mindfulness by doing simple daily habits, such as;

1 - Eating mindfully: Try to eat your food slowly, in small chunks or pieces. Without any distraction, no one talking to you, you are not watching anything… all what you are doing is just eating, tasting your food, feeling it’s texture in your mouth, and how you are swallowing it… be grateful for each bite you are having… feel the feeling of eating & tasting

2 - Mindfulness walking: it is the act of walking without a goal or an intention to get somewhere. It’s when you walk and you focus on each step you take, how you move your body, how you move each leg up and then put it back on the ground to feel how this process is happening.. and how each breath you are taking in & out feels..

3 - Focusing on one task at hand: Multitasking saves time, yes it’s true… But it does not allow us to enjoy what we are doing, or really recall exactly what we have done. So when you practice focusing on your task and be fully in it, your performance will be better & with more confidence…

“Wherever you are, be there totally.” 
Eckhart Tolle

4 - Siting in nature & listening to the sounds around you: Whether you have your eyes open or closed, nature has a soothing way of curing the soul from any weight and calming the mind. Siting for 30 minutes daily in nature will boost your energy, cleanse your breathing & also help you calm your mind to better function during your daily routine…

5 - Practice meditation: A lot of people think that in meditation you should have a blank mind… that is not necessarily true. In meditation you can have your eyes closed or open, and you are seated comfortably with a straight back… It is okay to have thoughts running through your mind when you are a beginner, you will know by time which thought you should give your attention to, remember your body is always trying to communicate with you in the best way it can… and by time & more experience you will be able to have a calm mind with a big smile…

"The real meditation is how you live your life."
Jon Kabat-Zinn

6 - Practice Yoga or any kind of Physical activity: Why do I recommend Yoga? because it requires you to be present with each movement you make, aware of your breath & the muscle your moving if its contracting or flexing… Yoga asanas require you to be in total harmony & ease & mindfulness at the same time… however you are free to do any physical activity as long as you are being aware of your breath, the way your body is moving & the sensation that you are experiencing from this practice

The above are only some of the mindfulness practices you can do, and now let’s look at some of the benefits of mindfulness:

• Reduces Stress & Improves ability to manage stress

• Increase Focus & the ability to pay attention

• Increase Emotional Intelligence by improving conflict resolution skills

• Increase empathy & understanding of others

• Increase capacity to overcome challenges

• Improve Physical Well-being

• Improve Creativity & Collaboration & Improved expression of creative arts.

So mindfulness has many benefits and will get us closer to the magic we have within that god gifted us. The more you practice mindfulness, the better version of yourself you become…
I hope you enjoyed this article… & looking forward to sharing more insights about so many other things in life with you…

Continue having a very nice day!

Sources:
The Science of Mindfulness by Ronald Siegel
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Yoga teachings (200 hours Teachers Training)
Wikipedia