Mindfulness is a practice of maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and the environment around us, through a soft and enriching lens. According to meditation teacher Rachel Parrish, this practice helps us to release unrealistic expectations that can lead to negative emotions such as anxiety, disappointment, and stress. Advanced meditation teacher Khaydroup Podvoll further explains that mindfulness is the process of letting go and discarding our fears, worries, and anxieties. When we meditate mindfully, we become filled with more peace and awareness.
We observe and label our thoughts, feelings and sensations in the body objectively, without self-criticism or judgment. This practice has been associated with numerous benefits, such as improved focus on the task at hand even when emotionally disturbing images are shown. In 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn created the University of Massachusetts Medical Clinic Stress Reduction School where Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was first introduced. This practice has since been embraced by many people around the world, with some expecting concrete promises of longer lives and greater productivity from it.
The term 'mindfulness' has been used in various ways by different people. It is important to understand its true meaning and relationship to meditation in order to benefit from it. Mindfulness is rooted in traditional reflective morality and Buddhist ethics, which means that it should be practiced with compassion and meaningfulness. Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can help us to disconnect emotionally and live in the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future.
It can also aid us in releasing our fears, worries, and anxieties so that we can be filled with more peace and awareness. With its numerous benefits, mindfulness is an invaluable practice that can help us to live better lives.
