What really is mindfulness? How in the world am I supposed to do it, and do I really have time for that?
Well, you do have time for that. If you’ve got a little bit of time to read this post, you’ve got time to be gentle with yourself. And that’s exactly what mindfulness is. It’s just being in the here and now. Which is in every respect something you’re doing right now. Yes, right now. Your eyes are gliding along these words, and you are breathing in and out, taking time to read this post of ours. You blink every so often, feeling your chest rise and shoulders relax as you exhale. You are going to do this as you keep on reading.
Did you just feel a bit more mindful reading that?
Then you’ve just ‘done’ mindfulness. Go you! Wasn’t so bad, huh?
It’s all about being in the present moment, and noticing how we feel and what is going on around us too. It’s a bit of meditation to help you through your day. Professor Mark Williams from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre said "It's easy to stop noticing the world around us. It's also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living 'in our heads' – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour,”. We completely agree. It’s just being that little bit more aware.
So watch out for our How To video on Mindfulness to show you some techniques and basics for getting all in the present.