7 Tips For Better Mindfulness
Focusing your mind for greater self-awareness
What Exactly Is Zen Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment, regret or expectation.
Though it is similar in some ways to meditation, meditation and mindfulness are not the same. In fact, mindfulness is actually, a skill one develops through meditation or other techniques. The roots of Mindfulness derives from sati, a significant element of Zen, and other spiritual traditions.
Though definitions and techniques of mindfulness are wide-ranging, Zen, traditions explain what constitutes mindfulness such as how past, present and future moments arise and cease as momentary sense impressions and mental phenomena.
Here is a simple explanation of Zen, the Eastern philosophy where Western mindfulness likely originated…
Clinical psychology, life coaches, and self-improvement specialists since the 1970s have developed a number of life skills, self-help tools, and therapeutic applications based on mindfulness for helping people experiencing a variety of psychological conditions.
Mindfulness practice has been employed to reduce depression to reduce stress, anxiety, and in the treatment of physical and emotional addictions.
Programs based on mindfulness models have been adopted within schools, prisons, hospitals, veterans’ centers, and other environments, and mindfulness programs have been applied for additional outcomes such as for weight management, athletic performance, healthy aging, helping children with special needs, and as an intervention during the perinatal period.
The Tips
A Simple Mindfulness Technique
1. sit in a straight-backed chair or sit cross-legged on the floor or a cushion.
2. close your eyes.
3. bring attention to either the sensations of breathing in the proximity of your nostrils or to the movements of the abdomen when breathing in and out.
4. do not try to control your breathing, simply be aware of your natural breathing process/rhythm.
5. don’t be concerned when your mind runs off to other thoughts and associations,
6. when this happens, and it will passively notice that the mind has wandered,
7. accept this, non-judgmentally, and return to focusing on your breath.
When I say, “accept this, non-judgmentally” I mean do not criticize yourself, or start negative self-talk such as “I’m doing it wrong.” Simply go back to this mindfulness exercise.
Current Research
Clinical studies have documented both physical-and mental health benefits of mindfulness in different patient categories as well as in healthy adults and children. Research studies have shown a positive relationship between trait mindfulness (which can be cultivated through the practice of mindfulness-based interventions) and psychological health. The practice of mindfulness appears to provide therapeutic benefits to people with psychiatric disorders, including moderate benefits to those with serious mental and emotional challenges including psychosis.
Studies also indicate that 1. worry and 2. rumination contributes to a variety of mental disorders, and that mindfulness-based intervention can enhance trait mindfulness and reduce both of these patterns.
The Takeaway
Teaching an individual to practice mindfulness is a simple affair. Even a few minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evening may be a preventive strategy to halt the development of mental health problems.
Author: Lewis Roshi (Lewis Harrison) is an author, practical philosopher, and seminar leader. He and the founder and senior teacher at the Wisdom Path Community, a spiritually-oriented social network-based group that focuses on the spiritual journey rather than rites, rituals, ceremonies, or dogmatic practices.
“My website is AskLewis.com and I can be emailed directly at LewisCoaches@gmail.com…”
The book — This story has been re-edited from a chapter in my book, Spiritual, Not Religious: Sacred Tools for Modern Times.
You can read all of my Medium.com stories at LewisCoaches.Medium.com
……………………Lewis
