Mindful Awareness, often called mindfulness, helps you to develop the ability to tune in to daily experiences rather than responding automatically and thoughtlessly. It is maintaining a moment-to-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, surroundings – without judgement through a gentle lens. When you are fully present, or mindful, you become more aware of experiences and their impact on you. This allows you to respond in a more proactive and engaged manner.
The western healthcare world is beginning to recognize that mindful awareness can be very good for your health. Also called “present moment awareness,” it is rooted in Buddhist meditation but was popularized as a secular practice by Jon Kabat-Zinn who established the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. And MBSR is now taught all over the world by skilled teachers and facilitators.
Mindfulness is noticing that cool breeze wafting across your perspiring brow or recognizing the knee-jerk anger welling up when a co-worker steals an idea. Once you learn to observe your reactions, you can choose a healthier response. And that in that moment, de-stress your own reaction and positively impact your overall health. Research has shown that mindfulness can lead to a greater sense of well-being and to lower levels of depression, anger, worry and anxiety.
Many people take a course – perhaps eight weeks of MBSR mindful awareness training. Others pick up a book and figure it out on their own. Here are a few ideas to give you a taste to decide if a deeper exploration is right for you.
Simple Breath Awareness: Get comfortable in a chair; sit up straight with your feet grounded to the floor. Breathe deeply. Start by focusing on your breath as it moves in and out of your body. Once you are present to the sensation of breathing, widen your focus to include all your body sensations – listen to your heart, feel the sensation of your sits bones on the chair, your shoulder muscles relax, pay attention to every part of your body. Then move on to an awareness of what you are hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, touching or even thinking.
Formal Practice: Set aside ten or twenty minutes a day to practice breath awareness. Find a quiet place without distractions. Decide when and how long you will practice – choose a time of day when you are generally free of other demands.
Informal Practice: Decide you will practice paying attention on purpose by focusing on a particular moments throughout the day. Scan your body to observe all sensations before setting off on a walk. Before joining a meeting, take a minute or two to silently focus on your breath. Pay close attention as you perform everyday activities: wash dishes, brush teeth, shower, eat, chop vegetables, dust. What do you observe that you hadn’t noticed before?