Mindfulness: What Does This Mean And How Do We Engage In It?

The practice of mindfulness can come in all sorts of “shapes” yet the core of its purpose remains constant. Letting our mind explore our thoughts, feelings and sensations without judgment and noticing what we observe.

This process extends itself to everyone with no discrimination as to who can benefit from it. To a person dealing with constant emotional dysregulation, it can be a valuable tool to aid in modulating these intense feelings. The continual practice overall can cause a person in frequent distress to calm oneself more easily.

Being in the moment and doing something “one-mindfully” allows us to give full attention to that experience. The process of learning how to be more mindful can start with something as simple as sitting upright, closing your eyes, and focusing on one thing and one thing only.

An easy place to start is focusing on your breath and noticing the rise and fall of your diaphragm. As your mind starts to wander to other topics, bring the focus back to your breath. After a few minutes, ask yourself what you observed and acknowledge any judgments that may have come up.

THE QUESTION

Said the monk, “All these mountains and rivers and the earth and stars -where do they come from?

Said the master, “Where does your question come from?”

Search within!

De Mello, Anthony. (1984). The song of the bird. New York: Doubleday Publishing.

Are you practicing an aspect of mindfulness in your life right now and find it useful? Tell us in a comment below!