MINDFULNESS BLOG
The practice of “mindfulness” is becoming more commonplace as part of mental health treatment as research demonstrates that mindfulness helps reduce anxiety and depression. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind.
Mindfulness Meditation - Introduction
Robert & Julia Connors
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us. Were able to hear ourselves think, and acknowledge that we are human and make mistakes. Were able to see what is, without judgment and also without feeling guilty. Were able to see where we've been and where we'll be.
It is a mindfulness practice that makes a big difference in how you handle stress, how you deal with anxiety, and how you feel about your own feelings. And, with the help of mindfulness, you've got the ability to actually see and handle anything that comes up, without allowing your feelings to get out of control. Were able to handle situations without becoming upset. And, we've got the ability to look deeply at why we become upset, and how we can avoid those patterns in the future.
If you've never tried mindfulness before, you'll find it a bit challenging at first. You have to really commit to noticing how you react and become aware of why you become upset. But, once you've committed, it isn't difficult to do. And, it can give you an ability to not only cope better but to actually deal better with situations in your life that used to upset you.
The course is designed for people that are looking to deepen their spirituality. People that feel they are way off track in their spiritual training, or even just people who are interested in going deeper into mindfulness, but don't know where to start. This course will introduce you to one of the newest approaches to mindfulness. You will learn why it is effective, and what to focus on in order to apply it in your life. We will cover mindfulness meditation, mindfulness techniques, and a mindfulness course. We will discuss some of the benefits of mindfulness, as well as why you would want to incorporate it into your life.
How Being Non Reticular Can Change Your Life
Robert & Julia Connors
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us. It's about being completely present, not lost in the past, future, or anywhere in between.
The ability to stop being reactive is a skill. In fact, it's an ability that's not really just limited to stressed-out people, or people who have really traumatic life events. It also applies to people who've survived sexual abuse, and people who've experienced loss. It is a gift to not be reactive.
This ability comes naturally to everyone. If you were really able to be present, paying attention to your immediate environment, then you wouldn't see and feel every noise, every vehicle, every person's footstep, every light, every shadow, every piece of scenery as an intruder in your space. You wouldn't be reacting to these things. Instead, you'd see them as part of the environment; as just an interesting thing to watch, without wasting energy being annoyed by them. The more you know about your immediate environment, the more you see what is just a cool thing to be aware of and not something to be blown up about.
If you could really be present, you wouldn't react to movies or commercials or people or events; you wouldn't feel a need to comment on them; you wouldn't feel a need to have answers about them. You wouldn't be afraid to not know and just pay attention to whatever happens as a part of your life. The more you know about life and life itself, the more you can be in the moment, the less you will feel a need to live it through.
To be aware and to be present requires not having to learn how to do things, not having to think about the future or the past, not having to think about what your response to them is going to be.
It just becomes a habit for you.
You become a non-reactive, non-reactive-less person.
The Skill of Letting Go
Robert & Julia Connors
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us. It's the ability to pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without judging them.
Being mindful has nothing to do with being quiet, and everything to do with being alert. Paying attention is the basic, foundational mindfulness action. Being mindful is being aware of and not affected by your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
So, mindfulness means being able to pay attention without being affected by your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. You stay present in what you're doing without being distracted by it in any way. You pay attention and are present in that task.
This is the basic mindfulness skill. Paying attention is the easy part. Paying attention and be mindful requires ongoing practice.
If you can stay present with what you're doing, regardless of how you feel, then you can pay attention to everything going on around you. Not just your own thoughts, feelings, and sensations but also the thoughts, feelings, and sensations of others. The world is full of people's thoughts and feelings. In the fullness of time, we will all be fully aware of people, not affected by what anyone else thinks, feels, or thinks about us.
When you follow mindfulness with an ability to let go of things that are bothering you, then you learn two important skills that will help you live a better life. You will learn to be mindful of what is going on around you and also let go of things, not needing them, that is no longer needed.
To let go of what no longer serves you takes courage, and it also takes practice. It is not an easy thing to do by any means. You will encounter resistance to letting go. You may get caught up in trying to control the uncontrollable. Your resistance will show up in many ways. It might show up as worry, anxiety, stress, and frustration. Whatever it looks like, it is likely to show up as your mind going into over-drive, trying to find something that will prevent you from releasing and letting go of whatever is. It will likely show up as your mind trying to find some way to keep you from letting go. It is likely to show up as you wanting to cling to those things that are no longer needed or serve no purpose anymore.
But, it is possible. There is a way to release and let go of what is no longer serving you. In fact, the release of whatever keeps you stuck is the first step toward living a better life and learning the ability to live a better life.