Louise's Thoughts

What does mindfulness mean to you?

Louise Dawson

6 July 2020

At some point in our lives we have all been advised to meditate. Not just once and you’re good to go, but daily.

 

If you’re like me, you tried it and were surprised to find how hard it was considering the fact that it seems like a fairly passive activity. Yes, I totally get training for months before even trying to run a marathon, but meditation?

 

For years I just couldn’t find a meditation practice that worked for me. I have a very active imagination, so wasn’t very successful at “emptying or stilling my mind”. Sitting cross-legged on the floor for any length of time was uncomfortable and quickly became distracting, and ritual is not something that appeals to me because I find that after doing something once or twice I tend to go into autopilot, which gives my mind and imagination permission to run wild.

 

When I started out on the conscious part of my spiritual journey, I was very aware that my aversion to meditation was slowing down my process, so I did a whole bunch of research and discovered the concept of mindfulness. Sounded like a feasible alternative, so that’s the detour I took.

 

The thing is, if you haven’t found a meditation practice that works for you (and you’ve tried more than one or two), then being present, centred and mindful throughout your day is a reasonable solution. Doesn’t quite take you to the very cool places that meditation does, but it’s a whole lot better than nothing.

 

So, what exactly does mindfulness mean to you? The standard definition for mindfulness is that it’s a way of life in which you maintain an objective, non-judgmental, moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and environment. It has been shown to relieve stress, normalize blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and support mental health challenges. Not bad!

 

‘Mindfulness and meditation’ are the new ‘exercise and healthy eating’ – they are now accepted as being an integral part of our health and wellness.

 

So what? I don’t know about you but I’m human, which means I have a very short memory and very short attention span. When I start focusing on what’s in front of me, other things fall through the cracks. Does this focus mean I’m being mindful, or am I being selectively mindful? Am I ignoring what I don’t want to see, know about, or deal with? Have I misinterpreted the true meaning of mindfulness, thinking that by focusing on what I am doing right at this moment means I’m being mindful?

 

How often do you only pay attention to things when something goes wrong with them or they’re suddenly not there anymore? Like that favourite comfy sweater that you don’t think about until you’re feeling sad or vulnerable and you take it out and put it on because the softness and warmth give you comfort and the scent brings back wonderful memories, then suddenly it’s not there anymore and you’re heart broken. Or your car that is always there and you use it whenever you need to without giving it a second thought, then suddenly it breaks down and is no longer available. It is so easy to take things for granted when we think they are always there for us.

 

What am I trying to say here? Do I mean that we should give our full attention to absolutely everything every second of the day – constantly think about that sweater or your car while you are trying to focus on your work? Not really. That wouldn’t be very practical. I think mindfulness includes a whole load of gratitude for everything that supports us every day; those things, people or animals that we don’t think twice about because they’re always there when we need them.

 

Bottom line is, we are human and need an occasional reminder that everything in our life is relevant – if it isn’t, consider letting it go. Mindfulness is not just another box that we try and squeeze ourselves into in our pursuit for inner peace and enlightenment, it’s a way of life. Something that is second nature to us. Something that informs how we present ourselves to the world. Apply it to all areas of your life, not just the busy stuff.

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