What you didn’t know about Mindfulness
- Melinda Sanchez
- Dec 10, 2024
- 3 min read
What is mindfulness?
The concept of mindfulness dates back over 2,500 years to Buddhist teachings, but as we understand it today in the West, it emerged in the 1960s through Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American molecular biologist who, after a trip to India practicing yoga and meditation, decided to study and develop a stress reduction program based on mindfulness. Mindfulness is about being fully present, paying attention to what’s happening in your life moment by moment, without judgment or reaction. Living in the future, imagining countless scenarios that may unfold, typically generates anxiety, while living in the past often brings about feelings of melancholy or sadness.
Why live in the present?
The benefits of learning to live in the present are numerous: it reduces anxiety, improves sleep, allows for greater enjoyment of daily life, enhances concentration, boosts memory, helps balance emotions, and aids in managing pain. In today’s fast-paced society, we’re constantly on autopilot, rushing from one thing to the next, which leads to emotional imbalances, causing anxiety, sadness, stress, and apathy. These issues result in reactions and decision-making that, if made from a place of full awareness, might have been different.
What isn’t mindfulness?
When some people hear about mindfulness, they might imagine a Buddhist monk sitting cross-legged, repeating mantras. It’s not doing yoga either; yoga at a mental level is ineffective unless you work with your mind during the session. Mindfulness isn’t about clearing the mind or entering a trance; it’s not a religion, nor is it about dropping everything to go to an ashram in India. You don’t suddenly become a “better” person, nor do you gain enlightenment overnight. Mindfulness isn’t meditation, though meditation can help improve your levels of awareness and mindfulness.
Here are some mindfulness techniques you can try if you’re interested in improving your attention, consciousness, and overall quality of life:
Attention to breath: Exercises that help you connect with your inner self through inhalations and exhalations. There are many techniques and exercises available online.
Full observation: Focused awareness, which can be on a single object or a walk where you enjoy what you see without letting your thoughts influence your experience.
Listening to music: A great way to enhance attention, focusing on the music, lyrics, and what it conveys.
Being mindful in your activities: For example, when washing dishes, pay attention to how you’re doing it, connecting with the action fully, and not thinking about anything else.
Observing your thoughts without judgment: Choose a moment of the day to pause and observe the thoughts that arise in your mind, as if you were a spectator.
Meditation practice: For beginners, guided meditation is recommended at first (through audio guides), or after practicing some of the previous exercises, since sitting with oneself and not being carried away by thoughts can be challenging initially. Meditation requires practice, and benefits come with consistency, so patience is key.
Practicing yoga: Paying full attention to the movements, avoiding thoughts, and connecting with the body during practice.
Remember: Mindfulness is simply a mental state of full awareness, and success is seen through consistent practice. The benefits are numerous for your body, mind, how you view life, and how you enjoy it—once you start noticing them, you won’t want to stop. Give it a try! The cost of trying is free.
Image by Freepik
Melinda Sánchez Coach
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