WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
Mindfulness is a simple process of being more at home in yourself. So often we are not really here. Our minds have wandered habitually into the past perhaps remembering a conversation we had yesterday or thinking about the future; for example what is coming up later today.
This of course diminishes whatever energy there is for the present moment. And life can only be lived in the present moment. The breath anchors us in the present moment. As we pay attention to the breath we remind ourselves that we are here and now, waking us up more fully to whatever might be happening in the moment moving us out of automatic pilot.
In an increasingly hyperactive culture, mindfulness is a way of reconnecting with ourselves and others and it is also a way of making friends with ourselves. It allows us to cultivate the qualities of compassion for self and other , kindness , acceptance and empathy which we can then bring to whatever we are experiencing in our lives.
By practicing mindfulness we can decrease our levels of stress, anxiety and depression, feel less thrown around by our emotions and experience more positive emotions like joy and happiness. Mindfulness also supports us in dealing with life changes and transitions.