What is Mindfulness ?

Mindfulness is paying attention, non-judgementally, to what is going on in this moment.

This might be paying full attention to nature, to some music, to the experience of drinking a hot drink, for example. Or it can be more paying attention to what is going on in your brain and body.

Mindfulness practices are just that, time dedicated to practicing mindfulness. This might involve finding a comfortable, quieter, place to sit or lie down and do a specific practice. For example focussing in on the breathing, fostering a sense of love and kindness for yourself and others, or doing a body scan. You can also "just sit" or perhaps used your five senses to tune into aspects of the world around you.

The challenge can be that we’ve trained our brains, in modern society, to always be doing stuff. Working, reading, scrolling, watching, thinking, planning etc. So our minds will naturally try and fill that calm space with thoughts, ideas and things to do. Your mind will wander off, thoughts will arrive; and all you have to try and do is bring your focus, gently and kindly, back you the focus of your attention.

I try to see these things as trains arriving and leaving at a station, we can watch those thoughts arrive, and leave again, we don’t have to “get on the train” by picking up a thought and getting involved with it. We have a choice as to how we engage with our thoughts, and we can make changes to that with practice!