What is mindfulness?
“Mindfulness is non-judgmental, open-hearted, friendly, and inviting of whatever arises in awareness. It is cultivated by paying attention on purpose, deeply, and without judgment to whatever arises in the present moment, either inside or outside of us. By intentionally practicing mindfulness, deliberately paying more careful moment-to-moment attention, individuals can live more fully and less on ‘automatic pilot,’ thus, being more present for their own lives.”
Put simply:
When you’re mindful, you carefully observe your thoughts and feelings without judging them good or bad.
How often do your thoughts wander into the past or the future? How often do those thought lead to stress, anxiety and worry for you? Your thoughts can literally male you want to scream. Argghhh!!!
Mindfulness helps you to stay focused in the moment. You can practice mindfulness anywhere and that is the beauty of it. Sitting at your desk, lying down, when sitting on the bus and when out walking!
Mindfulness and the NHS
The NHS accepts and promotes the benefts of mindfulness
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mindfulness.aspx#what
Key Benefits of mindfulness for you
Since the concept of mindfulness arrived in the west in the 1970s the claimed benefits have been substantiated by several clinical studies. The aim of mindfulness is to help individuals do the following:
Feel more relaxed and calm
Recognise, slow down or even stop negative, habitual reactions
Gain clarity
Respond more effectively to situations
Enhance creativity
Feel more balanced at work and at home
According to the Mental Health Foundation, studies looking at the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) have reported the following benefits:
70% reduction in anxiety
Ongoing reduction in anxiety after taking MBSR course
Fewer visits to the doctors
Increase in disease-fighting antibodies
Better quality of sleep
Fewer negative feelings, including tension, anger and depression
Improvements in physical conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and psoriasis
The evidence has been so strong in fact that nearly three-quarters of GPs have said they feel all patients would benefit by learning mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness in the media
You may have heard of the term mindfulness many times as it has been getting so much media attention recently on TV and in the press.
Last week I watched ‘How to Stay Young’ BBC1. It was very interesting and highlighted the benefits of incorporating mindfulness into your daily life. Well worth a watch on teh BBC Iplayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b095gd8f
How can you practice mindfulness
If you are interested in introducing mindfulness to your life, the first step you should take is to simply take notice notice of your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and the world around you. It may be useful to pick a certain time in the day to practice this – your journey to work, when you’re eating your dinner or even just before you go to bed. While it may not sound like much, taking 10 minutes a day to notice these kinds of things are great for getting you out of the auto-pilot mode many of us fall into.
Next you should try observing your own thoughts and noticing the busyness of your mind. Don’t try arguing with your thoughts or even try to stop them, instead just sit back and watch them go by – as if you are watching them float by like leaves on a stream. Try to notice any feelings or emotions you feel too, (such as anxiety or sadness) to help you develop emotional awareness.
It can take time to develop the skill on being mindful.
If you would like to work with me one to one to develop your mindfulness skills I am offering one hour sessions at £60, you will also be given your own personal meditation on CD or as an mp3 file.
I am also running monthly small group sessions at £10 per session or £50 for a block of six when paid for in advance. The next group session is on Thursday the 28th September at 11am.
Please feel free to send me a message via the contact form or call me on 0121 532 0075
You can connect with me on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/birmingham.hypnotherapy/
Best Wishes
Tracy Mason – Clinical Hypnotherapist and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher.
I work from the comfort of my home which my clients love. It is a relaxing space with a lovely energy.
Bearwood is within easy reach from Birmmingham City Centre, Edgbaston, Harborne, Selly Park, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kingsheath, Quinton. Halesowen, Hagley, Stourbidge, West Bromwich and Oldbury.
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