subject: What's Mindfulness? [print this page] What's Mindfulness? What's Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is justfocusingon what you're doing; simple, right? Not for most people. Do you really pay attention, ever, to just breathing? Do you focus on just eating when you eat? Do you note the rhythm and muscles it takes when walking and do nothing else, except notice? When you have a thought, do you look carefully at it? It's not likely, unless you practice mindfulness. Yet, mindfulness can be very helpful for stress, choosing what to think based on rationality, stopping automatic thoughts that mayhave negative consequences for you, coping with strong emotions, getting along better with your partnerand, oh yeah -- enjoying life more.
As human beings, we have the capacity to observe ourselves; how we act, what we think andwhat we feel. Yet, we tend to rush headlong into life, often avoiding self-observation and experiencesby distracting ourselves, getting caught up in aroiling drift of thoughts and emotions that keep us from experiencing each moment. You might wonder what's so great about the moment.
Each moment is an opportunity to change our brains -- yes, physically change the brain. You've heard the term, "neuroplasticity"? This means that our brains are malleable and the importance of this is that we're not stuck with what we have, but it also means that we have to slow down enough to observe ourselves and the world around us in orderto increase awareness so that we can choose ourthoughts and actions. When we do this, we begin to shape our brains to work better. Over time, neurotransmitters will act differently, new neuralnetworks willform and we can even changethe brain'snumber of active neurons. Better brain function can mean we feel better, have more energy, have better stamina, increase the abilities of memory, process emotions more effectively and much more.
Each moment is the smallest particle of life too. When welive our lives moment to moment, we enjoy more -- whether it's a breath of spring air, a bite into a crisp apple, a kind word to another person or some other moment ofjoy. Living mindfully means that we don't have to carry a burden of bad memories, guilt, worried anticipationor other stressful baggage. Living mindfully means we actually live -- here and now. Part of the beauty of this, too, is that the more mindful we become, the easier it becomes to actually enjoy the moment because the brain increasingly works with us and for us, rather than drawing us into distraction, chaos, negative thinking and emotional pain.
