Mindfulness 101: Learn How to Bring Awareness Into Your Life
Nowadays mindfulness has become a highly popular word. We see it in our everyday life and in social media. Yet, sometimes we don’t know exactly what it means.
It doesn’t matter if you heard the word in a podcast or in a blog post like this one. I’m sure they all said it’s important to practice mindfulness but they don’t tell you why. I strongly believe mindfulness is often overlooked due to our busy schedules and lifestyle.
We are always in a rush. We are often thinking about problems, the future, or the past while doing other things. It’s like multitasking when we focus part of our attention on multiples things rather than focusing all in one.
And that’s exactly the problem. We need to keep our minds well and balanced to have mental clarity. And mindfulness helps us to do that.
What Mindfulness Is
Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism have been practicing mindfulness for thousands of years. But back in 1979, professor Jon Kabat-Zinn created the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. It’s an 8-week workshop that focuses on the progressive acquisition of mindful awareness.
The official definition of mindfulness is the one Jon established and it goes like this:
The awareness arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally (And then sometimes add, in the service of self-understanding and wisdom).
In other words, it’s a state of being aware of yourself when your body and mind are in the same place at the same time. It’s about bringing attention to the present moment, to what you are doing right here and now without worrying about anything else.
It is a practice of being fully aware so that we can actually enjoy life instead of letting it pass us by. And despite mindfulness has its roots in Eastern religion, mindfulness isn’t inherently religious.
Many people tend to associate mindfulness with religion but it is a secular practice that can be used by those who practice religion and those who don’t. Personally, I find mindfulness allows me to connect with my spiritual side.
Keep in mind mindfulness is also not synonymous with meditation. Rather, it is a practice that helps us to be more mindful.
Why It Is So Popular
Despite mindfulness being for thousands of years, like I said, it became increasingly popular in the West because of the program created by Jon Kabat-Zinn. But it was up to the early 2000s that there was an explosion of research in mindfulness interventions which could explain why mindfulness has become so popular today.
Nowadays where stress, busyness, and burnout are the norm, mindfulness often offers an alternate experience of living that has been shown to provide enormous benefits like
- A decrease in stress levels
- Improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms
- Increased ability to relax
- Improved ability to regulate emotions
- Increased capacity for compassion
- Improved ability to experience moments with greater clarity and objectivity
Personally, I’ve noticed that mindfulness helps me to declutter my mind. To think more clearly and to reduce anxious thoughts. My stress levels have improved and I actually enjoy even the little moments in life.
The Attitudes of Mindfulness
To truly have the benefits of mindfulness and to make it part of your life, you need to have the right attitude and mindset.
In his book “Full Catastrophe Living”, Jon Kabat-Zinn described there are seven attitudes of mindfulness and they are:
- Beginner’s Mind: See everything for the first time with fresh curiosity and vitality, being receptive to new possibilities, and realizing you don’t need to know all of the answers.
- Non-Judging: Noticing when you’re being judgmental of yourself and others and assume the stance of an impartial witness to any experience like with your thoughts, feelings, or body sensations.
- Letting Go: Being willing to let things be as they are with no need to try, and let go of the things, people, or ideas that prevent you from living in the moment.
- Acceptance: Bringing openness to, kindness towards, and welcoming of experience just as it is in the moment.
- Trust: Trusting in yourself and taking responsibility for your actions.
- Patience: Letting things unfold in their own time without rushing.
- Non-Striving: Not forcing certain results to happen and letting things happen in their own time.
But recently, he has also added two more:
- Gratitude: Be grateful for things that are taken for granted like being alive, breathing, and being healthy.
- Generosity: Giving yourself over to live and give to others what would make them happy.
Why Practice Mindfulness
There are tons of research conducted by trained professionals on controlled groups on the benefits of mindfulness. Some of them are:
- A decrease in stress levels
- Improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms
- Increased ability to relax
- Improved ability to regulate emotions
- Increased capacity for compassion
- Improved ability to experience moments with greater clarity and objectivity
Personally, I’ve noticed that mindfulness helps me to declutter my mind. To think more clearly and to reduce anxious thoughts. My stress levels have improved and I actually enjoy even the little moments in life.
What It Looks Like in Daily Life
Most of us, including myself, spend our days half-aware of what we’re doing and what we’re thinking. We live on autopilot and go through our routines without noticing what we are doing at the moment.
Think of it like this: you are in your comfy clothes with a hot cup of your favorite tea between your hands and all of a sudden you’re aware of holding in your hand a nice cup of hot tea. You are not worried about what you’ll do the next day or thinking about work. You’re just in that moment, as it happens.
By noticing mindlessness and using awareness to be more intentional with your actions you are developing mindfulness. If you can bring more intention to your activities and routines, and take time to schedule in mindfulness practices, you can begin to reap the benefits of mindfulness.
Types of Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices are essential because they encourage us to focus on the present moment even during busy and stressful times. To make mindfulness part of your life, you need to make it a regular practice. Take five minutes out of your day to practice mindfulness, it can truly make a difference.
Here are some different types of mindfulness practices I do often, although the list goes on:
- Any type of yoga, you can choose from yin yoga, hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, and many others.
- Mindful eating where you practice the art of eating slowly without distractions.
- Meditation, like in yoga, you can meditate in many different ways like bringing awareness to bodily sensations
- Gentle exercises that focus on repetition and slow moments like Qigong.
To me, mindfulness is a tool that can help us achieve a more blissful state of mind. It also helps to bring clarity to our lives. It is also a state of being. And so to maintain mindfulness, you need to put in effort daily. You don’t need to be a zen master to be mindful. You just need to show up every day and practice mindfulness.
Begin to be aware of your actions and reactions like feelings and emotions you experience throughout the day. Try to find out what triggers them, how they make you feel, and how you want to actually feel. Connect with yourself and declutter your thoughts. Just 5 minutes will have a great impact on your day and life.
Also, see:
+ Everything You Need to Know About Self-Care
+ The Five Areas of Self-Care You Should Focus On