How to Practice Mindfulness
October 8th, 2010 | 
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Mindfulness can be described as meditation pared of any spiritual connotations. At its most basic, it simply involves stopping and becoming thoroughly aware of the sensations of the moment as often as possible, gently letting go of any stray worries or thoughts that may cross the mind.
The practice was first advocated in the West by scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn (b.1944) who was looking for a way to help people kick start their own healing powers. He found that mindfulness could help to ease anxiety and depression and relieve pain. It has since been used to deal with a huge range of physical and psychological ailments.
Kabat-Zinn encourages his patients to aim for 45 minutes of practice a day focussing on the breath alone. However, he advised that even a few minutes a day can boost well-being. Here are a few ways to introduce the practice into your everyday routine.
- Tune into the ordinary details of your daily life: feeling the water hitting your body in the shower, the taste of every bite of your food, the colours and smells of the world around you
- Once in a while throughout the day, stop, sit down and become aware of your breathing. Breathe deeply and slowly and let go of everything else. Allow yourself to be exactly who you are
- Get down on the floor and do some mindful stretching exercises now and again, if only for a few minutes. Stay in touch with your breathing. What is your body telling you?
Taken from The Mind, Body, Spirit Miscellany by Jane Alexander
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