By now many people have heard the latest buzz word - Mindfulness. Mindfulness has become very popular in recent years, following the scientific proof of its fantastic benefits to our wellbeing. In this article we will take a closer look at this growing practice.

Mindfulness Courses at Living in the Light, in Little Clacton, near Colchester, Ipswich and Chelmsford. #katarinatilley.co.uk

Origins of mindfulness

To find the true origins of mindfulness (or awareness) we must look back to ancient times. Mindfulness or sati, as it is called in the Pali language is often quoted as originating in Buddhism and it is true that mindfulness was practiced by the early Buddhists.

However, the earliest recordings of what we now call mindfulness, was named smrti (awareness) and comes from the Sanskrit word, smara. The practice of smrti was recorded in ancient Vedic scriptures, such as the Chandogya Upanishad. (dated to 800 BCE - 500 BCE, in India).

Both sati and smrti mean remembrance. It is about being alert enough to remember to pay attention to the present moment.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the act of being aware of what the body and mind is doing in every moment. When we are being mindful we observe and are aware of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and our surroundings, without any judgment. Being present in every moment is vital, because life happens in the now and if we are not present to the now, then life passes by without us being aware of it.

It sounds very obvious that life happens in the now, but if we reflect deeply we will see that our mind is more often than not in the past or in the future and that both are not reality but simply thoughts. We are very much in the habit of thinking, in fact we are addicted to thinking and find our thoughts very interesting, so much so that we don’t realise that every time we are thinking, the present moment is lost to us.

When we live our lives in our head, we tend to do things automatically, as if on automatic pilot. Have you ever driven to work and wondered how you got there? Have you left home and wondered if you unplugged the iron or if you switched the cooker off? Those types of moments happen because we are not present and instead our mind’s attention is distracted with something else, we are thinking about. Mindfulness is about stepping off the automatic pilot and being present. Most problems arise because of our lack of awareness in a given moment and therefore it is vital that we learn to be truly present.

Mindfulness is also about developing greater compassion for all beings

Mindfulness is also a quality of the heart. It is an open heartedness and the growing in empathy and compassion, which can be cultivated through a mindfulness meditation practice, called ‘Loving kindness meditation’ (metta meditation). In this practice we send first love to ourselves, then to a loved one, after that to a stranger and then to somebody with whom we have an issue with. This practice leads to the development of compassion for all beings and the feeling of oneness.

How do we practice mindfulness?

Formal practice

Formal mindfulness practice consists of meditation. It can be done sitting, walking, standing or lying down. One formal sitting down mindfulness meditation is the becoming aware of the sensations in the body, as they arise.

Informal practice

Informal practice relates to all other moments in our daily life, in which we are aware and fully present. It is a moment to moment’s practice e.g when you wash the dishes, try to simply being present enough to simply wash the dishes. Come out of the mind and notice the temperature of the water, see and feel the soap suds, see and hear the water roll off the dishes as you rinse them etc. When you sweep the floor, be aware of the movements of your arms as you sweep, listening to the sound of the floor being swept. The aim is to be totally conscious of the action in that moment.

Also when you have your morning tea or coffee, then notice yourself holding the cup or mug, become aware of the temperature of the drink and of the taste of that drink. Be fully present with the actual experience of drinking your tea or coffee. If you do this then you will find that a new quality enters your experience. It is a form of aliveness of the present moment. It can be quite an amazing moment. It can transform the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Mindfulness slowly teaches us that we need not run anywhere else for better conditions in order to be happy. When we are fully present, then this moment as it is, is simply enough. We experience happiness when we are not thinking and are fully present in the now.

Naturally the present moment is not always pleasant and yet we are invited to still be present even our more difficult moments. If we continue practising mindfulness even we experience pain, then studies have shown that changes take place within our brain so that we no longer feel the same level of pain. Pain levels decrease through mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness although an ancient spiritual practice has gained in popularity since Jon Kabat-Zinn relaunched it and repackaged it into a secular 8 weekly practice. Mindfulness is now taught in some schools and workplaces such as General Mills, Apple, Nike and Google, in hospitals and practiced by many people all around the world in their homes on a daily basis. Mindfulness delivers a positive return on investment for companies, as it lowers staff absence, due to stress and sickness, which in turn reduces the health care cost of the company and increases the company’s income, as employees practicing mindfulness are much more productive than other employees.

Benefits of mindfulness

Mindfulness has a lot of benefits, not least of all the fact that it changes the structure and function of the brain within 8 weeks of practicing mindfulness for 20 minutes daily. Furthermore, science has proven that mindfulness meditation shrinks the amygdala. The amygdala has been classed as the fear centre of the brain, which is causes the fight or flight response, in stressful situations. It plays a crucial role in anger, conditioned fear and in sadness and which in turn causes one’s aggressive behaviour. Mindfulness causes the amygdala to shrink, the pre-frontal cortex thickens and this in turn lessens the negative emotions such as anger and anxiety and instead our awareness, concentration and decision-making process increases.

Mindfulness also reduces stress and tension, negative mind wandering, helps us manage our emotions, improves sleep, can help us improve our relationships, can contribute to weight loss through mindful eating habits and increase our focus and concentration and more.

In short, mindfulness can have a huge positive impact on our wellbeing and increase the quality of our life.

Where can I learn mindfulness?

Katarina Tilley runs face-to-face mindfulness courses at Living in the Light, in Little Clacton (near Colchester, Ipswich and Chelmsford), in Essex and she also runs interactive Online mindfulness courses, on Zoom. Katarina can also deliver mindfulness courses at your workplace.

For more information about mindfulness courses, please click on the following link: www.katarinatilley.co.uk/meditation