Mindfulness In Daily Life By Miranda Watkins

In recent weeks, I have had space and time to reflect,  and a theme that has been present has been that of mindfulness. Recently co- facilitating a yoga retreat and returning to the hectic schedule that daily life often affords has been an opportunity to emphasise the benefits of this practice in my life, so as I can then teach to others.

The concept of mindfulness has become a hot topic in recent years, yet is something that has been practiced throughout time and most particularly in eastern spiritual philosophy.

A definition is 'paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally' (Jon Kabat-Zinn).

Commonly a way to practice is as though you are noticing something and holding it in your attention lightly, with gentle acceptance, like a delicate flower resting on your hand. This means attending to a feeling, thought or sensation without clinging to it, resisting it, or trying to change it.
It is allowing whatever you notice to just be... And while this can be pleasant in a joyous moment it is much more challenging in painful moments. Attending to these moments rather than resisting, avoiding or pushing them away is mindfulness and can assist us manage difficult and painful moments part of the human experience rather than leading to suffering.

Mindfulness is not with the goal of relaxation although this can be a by-product, but affording us gain the skills in living in the moment. Often we live mindlessly, such as: eating without noticing, facebooking what we are doing, showering with many thoughts in our minds and being in our relationships without due care or attention. Mindfulness assists us to attend to life rather than reacting to life. It is estimated that only 1-2 percent of our lives is spent living mindfully but with practice we can get better at attending to our lived experience.

A link to 13 things mindful people do every day is attached and I encourage you to read it...

13 Things Mindful People Do Differently Every Day

I will follow up with a blog on mindfulness techniques if your interest has been piqued.
With that in mind, my daughter just informed me that I've missed seeing a beautiful bird flying overhead, and the sun is setting, so I am off to be mindful of this.