To practice mindfulness is to be fully aware and conscious of one's thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without judgment. 

It involves living in the present moment and accepting things as they are, while remaining calm and composed. By developing mindfulness, individuals can consciously choose how to respond to situations, exhibiting greater clarity, compassion, and composure instead of reacting impulsively or unconsciously.

While mindfulness teaching is often associated with formal meditation practices, it can also be incorporated into everyday activities without the need to sit or lie down for meditation. Therefore, mindfulness can be practiced both formally and informally.

Person sitting crossed legged meditating

 

 

Formal and Informal Mindfulness

The formal practice of mindfulness involves dedicating specific time to engage in mindfulness exercises, often through meditation and guided practices. This is like scheduling time for exercise at a gym, as formal mindfulness requires a deliberate commitment of time. Examples of formal mindfulness practices include seated meditation sequences, body scans, and guided meditations using visualisation techniques.

Informal mindfulness, on the other hand, involves being aware of our experiences in the present moment and making a conscious effort to focus our attention on a single object or task throughout the day. This can be done during everyday activities such as walking, showering, cooking, making beverages, or even washing dishes. Essentially, we can practice informal mindfulness during almost any regular activity in our daily lives.

 

 

gradient brain icon in blue and green Benefits of Mindfulness Teaching

  • Improved mental health: Mindfulness can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also improve emotional stability and overall well-being.
  • Increased focus and attention: Mindfulness can help improve focus and concentration, making it easier to complete tasks efficiently.
  • Improved relationships: Mindfulness can help improve communication, increase empathy, and reduce conflict in personal and professional relationships.
  • Improved physical health: Mindfulness can help reduce stress-related physical symptoms, improve sleep quality, and promote overall physical health.
  • Increased self-awareness: Mindfulness can help increase self-awareness and improve decision-making by helping individuals recognise and understand their own thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
  • Increased resilience: Mindfulness can help individuals develop resilience and cope better with life's challenges by promoting acceptance and non-judgmental awareness of thoughts and emotions.
     

Neural pathways in brain

Attitudes of Mindfulness

Mindfulness encompasses more than just meditation. It is a mindset that involves living with focused attention and purpose. Even for individuals who do not embrace mindfulness as a lifestyle, there are specific attitudes that can guide mindfulness practice in both personal and professional settings.

There are nine key attitudes of mindfulness that are interrelated and can be nurtured in daily life and formal mindfulness teaching exercises. These attitudes include non-judgement, non-striving, patience, maintaining a beginner's mindset, trust, acceptance, letting go, gratitude, and generosity.

 

Non-Judgment

The idea of keeping an open mind and not instantly categorising things as good or bad. It allows us to truly experience things as they are without any biased labels.

Non-Striving

When you are being mindful, you do not have to try and accomplish anything or reach some special state of relaxation or happiness. It is not about fixing anything or achieving any specific goals. Just be present.

Patience

Understanding that things happen in their own time, including our own experiences.

Beginner's Mind

Look at everything around you as if it is the first time, without any expectations or preconceived notions. Embrace the possibility of experiencing something entirely new.

Trust

Trust that your body knows how to take care of itself, that your breath will keep going, that your organs will function, and that your mind and heart can heal and support themselves.

 

Acceptance

Acknowledge that things are the way they are, even if it is not how you want them to be.

Letting Go

Instead of holding on tightly, let things be as they are. Recognise that pleasant moments will eventually come to an end.

Gratitude

This is the first of the two new additions to the attitudes and involves the appreciation of even the littlest things happening in the present moment, like your body automatically doing its job. Or being grateful for all that there is.

Generosity

The second of the two new attitudes, generosity is about giving yourself fully to life; to make others happy by giving them what brings them joy. This does not necessarily mean being generous with money or tangible items as one can be generous with time, small acts and even thoughts.

 

 

 

gradient brain icon in blue and green Mindfulness Teaching and Facilitation

As a fully licensed mindfulness teacher, I have a variety of facilitation options available to cater to your specific needs. These options include personalised individual sessions as well as incorporating mindfulness into coaching and the formal Mindfulness NOW program.

The Mindfulness NOW program combines two evidence-based approaches to mindfulness: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Developed by Professor Mark Williams and his team at the University of Oxford, MBCT has proven to be highly effective in treating depression, anxiety, and emotional trauma. In fact, it is recommended by NICE as a preferred treatment for depression.

In 1979, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center's Stress Reduction Clinic created the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This program integrates mindfulness meditation with established psychotherapeutic techniques, making it widely taught and recognised globally.

Mindfulness NOW can be delivered on an individual basis or in a group setting, either online or in person. Unlike MBSR and MBCT, the Mindfulness NOW program offers flexibility in its duration, allowing for an eight-week, six-week, or even four-week format.