It’s a busy digital world. You have your breakfast while keeping one eye on the phone and another on the newspaper. You plan your day while driving with music on and with a mobile conversation. Little later in the rush to accomplish necessary tasks, you may find yourself losing your connection with the present moment — missing out on what you’re doing and how you’re feeling.
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully consciously present and aware of where we are, what we are doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness improves physical health, mental health and overall wellbeing. Mindfulness helps relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties.
Though the cultivation of mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, most other religions too include some type of prayer or meditation technique that helps shift your thoughts away from your usual preoccupations towards an appreciation of the moment and a larger perspective on life.
Mindfulness techniques – Watching the breath, body-scan and other techniques
There are several exercises designed to develop mindfulness meditation. One method is to sit in a straight posture, close eyes and bring attention to either the sensations of breathing in the proximity of one’s nostrils or to the movements of the abdomen when breathing in and out. In this meditation practice, one attempts to simply be aware of one’s natural breathing.
Some tips to keep in mind: Gently redirect. If your mind wanders into planning, daydreaming, or criticism, notice where it has gone and gently redirect it to sensations in the present. If you miss your intended meditation session, simply start again.
Body Scan: This technique involves scanning your body from head to toe and being aware of any discomfort, sensations, or aches that exist (which could be indicators of stress and anxiety).
Noting: This is a mindfulness technique in which you “note” a particular thought or feeling when you become distracted during meditation.
Loving Kindness: Instead of focusing on the breath, focusing on the image of different people: people we know, people we don’t; people we like, people we don’t. We direct well wishes and goodwill first to ourselves, and then, as a ripple effect, to others, which helps us let go of unhappy feelings we may be experiencing.
Skillful Compassion involves focusing on a person you know or love and paying attention to the sensations arising from the heart. Visualisation to focus on a person or something more abstract, to hold attention. The idea here is that the familiar image will help create and maintain a relaxed focus.
Resting Awareness involves letting the mind rest; thoughts may enter, but instead of distracting you and pulling you away from the present moment, they simply leave.
Reflection: For this technique, ask yourself a question, for example, “What are you most grateful for?” Be aware of the feelings, not the thoughts that arise when you focus on the question.
