The Mindful Advantage: Enhancing wellbeing one moment at a time
What is mindfulness?
Ever taken a trip in a car and had little recollection of your journey there? If you nodded, you are not alone. Our fast-paced, and often chaotic lives mean we can miss the only thing that is actually happening - THIS MOMENT.
As Dr Jon Kabat-zinn said, “we only have moments to live”. Yet we ruminate on a past event we cannot change or try to predict the future. Put another way, it is fairly easy to mindlessly sleepwalk whilst awake, unknowingly being influenced by the thoughts of the mind.
Mindfulness is the opposite and is about waking up to our lives as human beings not human doings. It is about seeing thoughts as mental events. When we are mindful we are aware; we notice and pay attention to what is happening in the present by tuning into the senses. Mindfulness is far from a new fad or craze. It dates back over 2500 years and has roots in Buddhist teachings but is secular in nature so open for all. Meditation is a tool that can help us wake up from the slumber of automatic pilot.
Mindfulness meditation is not a direct root to happiness, balance and calming zen vibes. However, these things can be a by-product of being mindful. Life is full of highs, lows and the messy middle and being mindful may mean being aware during a challenging time in your life or through tough emotions.
How can being mindful enhance well-being?
Practising mindfulness has been shown to help people better manage stress, deal with chronic pain and cope with serious illness, to name a few. But how you may ask.
The answer could be hidden in the 7 foundational attitudes of mindfulness.
Non-judgement - this is not about never judging but instead paying attention to our constant labelling of things, people and events as good or bad, positive or negative
Patience - realising that some things just take a little time to unfold
Beginner’s mind - being open and curious to the possibilities, rather than assuming we know how it will turn out based on the past.
Trust - trust in yourself, your feelings and in your ability to know what to do. This does not mean you should not listen to or learn from other people, but it would be wise to have a basic trust in your inner knowing and intuition.
Non-striving - this does not mean having no ambition. Mindfulness meditation is about not having an expectation that you will achieve a particular outcome.
Acceptance - accepting that what is happening is happening. When we do this, we can spend energy deciding the best next step.
Letting go - Some things cannot be changed and in those instances, it can be beneficial to let it be.
By paying attention to moments in the day, we become aware of our thoughts and feelings and be in a position to decide how to respond rather than being swept up and overwhelmed by them all the time. This might be simple but is by no means easy. This is why mindfulness is a practice and even by noticing your spiralling thoughts you’re being mindful.
4 ways to take a mindful moment in the day
Mindfulness meditation does not have to mean sitting on the floor in lotus position for an hour. Small can be significant, so even a few minutes of stillness or paying attention can make a difference. It is possible for you to sprinkle mindful moments in your day. You can be mindful sitting, walking or laying down.
1.Mindful eating
Close down the email and take a pause from social media scrolling for one mealtime. Eating can be a great opportunity to pay attention to the present moment. Imagine you are eating the dish for the first time. What colours can you see? Notice the aroma coming from your meal. Can you pick up on individual ingredients? Perhaps follow the food as it travels from your mouth, down your throat and into your stomach? How do you feel knowing that the food is nourishing and refuelling you? Notice how you eat, without judgement. What sounds - crunches and crackles - are being made with different foods?
Mindful eating can help aid digestion and bring simple pleasures and gratitude to an activity that may have been labelled as a ‘have to’.
2. 5,4,3,2,1
Mindfulness is about paying attention by tuning into senses. Before moving on to the next meeting or activity, can you pause and ‘drink-in’ the present moment. Try naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can feel. You may choose to take this activity outdoors and go for a walk to notice what you notice.
3. Breath Awareness
Take a few mindful minutes by spying on your breath. It is easy to take the breath for granted as it happens in the background. The breath can be used as an anchor, a place to return to the here and now.
Take a comfortable seat or feel free to do this standing. Observe the inhale followed by the exhale and count each complete breath up to 5 before starting again. There is no need to change anything, pay attention to your breathing pattern at this moment. Is it deep or shallow, fast or slow. It is normal for the mind to wonder, just note where it went and gently guide it back to focusing on the breath. Breath awareness can help to focus the mind and provide clues on how you may be feeling, giving you the ammunition to make conscious choices.
4. Body scan
At times, it can feel as if our bodies are simply there to serve as a taxi for our busy minds. One way to reconnect with the body is to do a body check-in or body scan. This can be done in under a minute or you could take a full hour zooming in to each body part.
What signs is the body sending? Where in your body are you holding tension?
Here is a suggestion to get you started. Beginning at the feet, work your way up to the head. Pay attention to any physical sensations - light or strong. Do not worry if you do not feel anything in an area of your body. Notice that and gently move on. See if you can feel your heartbeat or breathing. Perhaps you spot the walls of your abdomen expanding and contracting with each breath.
You may choose to take the opportunity to send breath to any areas of tension.
So, today or throughout the week ahead, I invite you to pick one of these ideas and take a mindful moment.
Nikki St Paul
Wellness Practitioner & Certified Breath Coach