What Is Mindfulness?

'What is Mindfulness?' is a question that is often asked. This overview and short guided formal mindfulness practice answers the question simply and easily. Kerrie Ann works in a mental health facility helping the patients and staff find balance and ease during their day and to simply enjoy the present moment.

Transcript

Welcome everyone. My name is Kerry-Ann and today we are going to learn how mindfulness can help you achieve balance, Calm and ease in your life. So exactly what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose to the present moment without judging it good or bad. Have you ever driven somewhere and once you arrived had no memory of driving there? Have you ever eaten something and then later realised you have no memory of eating it or even tasting it? Have you ever been in a conversation and suddenly realised you haven't been listening to the other person's words at all? Mindfulness helps us to calm our minds, To be in the present moment. It helps us to stop worrying about the future and creating scenarios in our heads and to stop regretting the past or feeling depressed or upset about things that have happened in the past. None of these things matter really in this moment. All that really matters is what's happening right now, Right here in this present moment. By being in the present moment without any judgments we can find calm, Balance and peace. By being fully present we can enjoy simple pleasures such as a bird singing, The sound of rain, The smell of freshly brewed coffee, Our baby giggling. By not being overwhelmed by constant overthinking we can be fully present in our lives to enjoy what is really important. We can stay focused, Obtain clarity, Have gratitude and be compassionate towards others. Mindfulness helps you to not only enjoy life more fully but to enjoy better health and emotional wellbeing as well. So let's try mindfulness for a couple of minutes. Let's call it a mindfulness fix. So I just invite you to get into a mindful posture by either sitting up straight with your shoulders straight but not stiff or else lying straight down on the floor. We need to be still and quiet. Our mind and body are relaxed yet alert. Just get a sense of gravity pulling your muscles downwards. How does that feel? Now gently close your eyes or else gaze softly downwards. Place your hands on your stomach and start to focus on your breath going in and out of your body. Now gently close your eyes or else gaze softly downwards. Place your hands on your stomach and start to focus on your breath going in and out of your body. Focusing on your stomach rising and falling. In mindfulness our breath is like an anchor on a boat. By putting our attention on our breathing we can become calm and steady like a boat held down by its anchor. It may feel unusual at first but that's okay. It can be quite new to some people so don't worry. All we are doing is focusing on our breath going in and out of our body. So we will do the simple breathing exercise for two minutes. Let's begin. Placing your hands on your stomach closing your eyes and simply focusing on your breath going in and out of your body. Focusing on your stomach moving up and down with your breath. Now gently close your eyes or else gaze slowly downwards. Focusing on your stomach moving up and down with your breath. How does your breath feel? Is it long? Is it short? Is it deep? Is it fast? Just really focus on your breathing. If your attention wanders or thoughts come into your head that's okay and quite normal. Simply return your attention back to the awareness of your breathing and continue on. Thoughts might come and go and that's quite normal. We've seen this before but we are simply training our mind to focus on one thing, Our breath. Keep letting those thoughts go and returning your attention to your breath. We will continue for one more time. If your attention wanders or thoughts come into your head that's okay and that's quite normal. Simply label those thoughts thinking, Let them go and bring your awareness back to your breathing and continue. Now the two minutes is up. Please open your eyes slowly and let's just think about how you now feel. The simple act of stopping and concentrating on your breathing helps you to feel instantly calmer and clearer. This is a great technique to use whenever your mind is overwhelmed or feeling emotional or if you're feeling anxious or stressed. This simple breathing technique helps you to recenter, Refocus and calm your whole nervous system. So your homework before our next lesson is to practice this simple breathing technique for one to two minutes, At least once each day. You could set a time to do it each day when you're in a quiet place and you won't be disturbed and maybe use a timer on your phone or another device which will let you know when the time is up. Remember you're simply closing your eyes, Place your hands on your stomach and focus on your breathing. It's quite simple. So good luck and I'll meet you at the next lesson.