Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.
Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, these are the seven key elements of mindfulness.
Non-judging. Be an impartial witness to your own experience. Patience. Wisdom allows us to accept people and situations we normally push against. Beginner’s Mind. Remaining open and curious allows us to be receptive to new possibilities. Trust. Develop a basic trust in yourself and your feelings. Know it’s OK to make mistakes. Non-Striving. The goal is to be with yourself right here, right now. Acceptance. See things as they are. This sets the stage for acting appropriately in your life. Letting Go. When we pay attention to our inner experience, we are free from external stimuli.
Meditative practices vary greatly depending on the school of origin. Investigating and connecting with what resonates for each practitioner I the first step in this practice. Meditation is an evidence-based technique for treating a multitude of issues. Some are:
*Lowers Stress ad blood pressure *Reduces anxiety *Enhances overall mental health *Increases concentration and attention span *Generates empathy and kindness to oneself and others *Improves sleep hygiene *Lowers pain levels *Decreases depression levels *Creates new neural pathways that improve how we see and deal with the world around us
In therapy, I offer basic tools and instruction to begin a mindfulness/meditative practice. Meditative practice is used in conjunction with other approaches and techniques to greater facilitate inner change.