Many people have heard the buzzword called ‘mindfulness’. From classes to apps, books and seminars, it seems like everyone wants a piece of the mindfulness pie.
The truth is, where there is demand, there is money, and so a lot of people are cashing in this new buzzword. Yet, mindfulness is more than the latest trend or hot yoga class. It has real life benefits for both your mind and body. And ultimately, this can transcend into every area of your life.
[expander_maker id=”2″ more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]
What Mindfulness Means
The art of mindfulness is an ancient practice and is often rooted in meditation techniques. Mindfulness is powerful because it is ever present within you. It’s possible for you to tap into its limitless resources at any time of the day or night – whenever you need a quiet moment with yourself.
Mindfulness is about staying present and accepting what is. It is not trying to stop your mind or prevent your thoughts from wandering. You can practice anytime and find peace wherever you are.
By anchoring yourself to your breath, your attention is focused within. It’s about being accepting and kind to yourself, wherever you are in the moment – not trying to alter or change in any way to be something different. Mindfulness is the art authentic space within yourself.
In today’s demanding world, mindfulness provides the moment of respite we all need to stop ourselves from feeling overwhelmed, overworked, or even emotionally defeated. Mindfulness is the simple superpower that you can tune into whenever you need a moment of peace and perspective.
What Mindfulness Is Not
Practicing mindfulness is not about perfection. It doesn’t mean having a completely silent mind or only being able to perceive things in a certain way. Being mindful is about surrendering to what is.
Being happy and content with your life right now is powerful as it means you preserve your energy. You’re not giving your power away, feeling lack, or not good enough.
Mindfulness is the power of your own presence, your own peaceful state of being. It is about remaining rooted in this moment I’m not getting washed away with your emotions or attachments.
Being mindful is very much about observing your conscious state, while allowing yourself the space to let go of the incessant desires, drive, emotions and attachments that may be consuming your everyday life.
How Mindfulness Helps In Everyday Life
The beauty of mindfulness is its simplicity.You are not tired to accept time of practice position breath work or ritual. You can be mindful while laying in bed, sat on the train, driving in your car, at your office desk…there are so many ways to invite mindfulness to become a daily part of your routine. The fact it is so simple means that anyone can do it.
You are not bound by any rules or regulations, it is simply a matter of slowing down, observing and accepting the past and present moment for what is. All while being mindful of the future and acknowledging where you are.
Therefore, being mindful can teach you you let go of things that are out of your control – such as people’s opinions, actions, thoughts or beliefs.
Practicing mindfulness can make you more accepting, tolerant and patient in the long-term. By inviting the simple practice into your life you can change your psyche subtle level each day and in the long run this creates new layers of self-realization.
Can Mindfulness Cure Anxiety?
While mindfulness itself cannot cure anxiety, it can help to ease a lot of the symptoms that arise as a result of not being in the present moment. Anxiety therefore is simply the results have not been present and not truly living in the moment.
Mindfulness can teach you the tools to reduce your anxious state, by living in the moment and being happy with where you are right now. All of this will provide you with better control your emotions.
By practicing mindfulness even for a few moments and slowly building up over the course of the day, you will be able to find relief for your anxiety and stress.
Ultimately, this approach will provide you with better control over your emotions by allowing you to take a neutral perspective on an otherwise charged situation.
Mindfulness – Where To Start
You can start your mindfulness practice today by simply taking a few moments to be at peace with yourself.You may want to set aside your own sacred space where you can sit or attend daily for a few moments of inner reflection.
Close your eyes and focus on your breathing, how it feels in your inner space. Try to let go of all your expectations of how mindfulness should be. Instead focus on your breath and observe your thoughts and feelings.
The slower your breathing, the more your thoughts will slow down too. Reflect on your current emotional state but do not allow the thoughts to consume you that created this emotion.
Simply allow the thoughts and the emotions that come up to flow through you. Allow them to pass…and the more you breathe deeply, the more you realise how your emotional state is always in flux.
In this way you have the power to control your mind and emotions. And in doing so, you can choose, over time, better feeling thoughts that eventually build a foundation of happier emotions.
For now, try to focus on nothing in particular. It doesn’t mean emptying your mind of thoughts, it simply means non-attachment to them.
The more you focus on non-attachment, the easier it will become. For then you can recognise the seeds of dubious thoughts and how to manage them. Whenever they arise, you simply go back into your state of no-mind or non-thinking as much as is possible, about anything external.
Once you have a clear state of mind to build on you simply allow yourself to focus on the positive. Start planting seeds of positive thoughts and feelings will generate as a result that are in alignment with this energy.
You will soon realise how your thoughts and emotions colour your inner landscape. By paying attention to your in a landscape you will realise which areas to be more mindful of in future.
There are numerous mindfulness classes, courses books and reading materials that will guide you towards a more peaceful state of mind. However, sometimes it can be challenging on a practical level to stay mindful on a daily basis.
This is where having a mindfulness app can really help. Not only can a mindfulness app give you guidance, it can send you alerts and reminders towards staying present.
Which Mindfulness App Is Best?
Part of the problem is that there are so many apps out there to choose from and many may be of dubious quality. You can find the best mindfulness app for your needs here. It is worth reading over to find the one that’s right for your requirements.
Whether you are a beginner or advanced at mindfulness, if you want to live your best life, then being mindful plays an essential part in this process. And in today’s modern world, just as with everything else we use on our mobile phones, downloading or using an app can help us to keep track of our goals and stay consistent. With dedication and focus you will begin to truly realise for yourself the benefits of having mindfulness as your own super power!
[/expander_maker]
