The meaning in mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment (your thoughts, feelings and the world around you).
It involves you stepping back from these thoughts and letting them pass without judgement, meaning you are better able to understand them and manage them.
“Gradually, we can train ourselves to notice when our thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply 'mental events' that do not have to control us”, says Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.
Mindfulness is now widely accepted to be a way to reduce stress and increase happiness and mental state, a perfect practice given the current circumstances we find ourselves living in.
What are the benefits?
The overall aim of mindfulness is to help you; become more self-aware, feel calmer, feel able to decide how to respond to thoughts and feelings and achieve realisation and relaxation. In addition, it can also improve mental wellbeing and contribute to good overall physical health.
How can mindfulness be achieved?
The goal of any mindfulness technique is to achieve realisation and focused relaxation. There are plenty of different techniques that can help us to achieve this state, such as meditation, yoga, mindful eating, journaling, and exercise.
Taking a few minutes a day can have a big impact on your overall mood, focus and wellbeing, and it doesn’t take much to do.
One exercise which can be beneficial when you are not able to connect with loved ones and friends is the practice of a ‘loving-kindness meditation’ which is very simple to do simply say, either in your mind or out loud;
‘May I be happy, may I be well, may I be filled with kindness and peace.’
Repeat the above for one minute, you can also substitute “you” for “I” and think of someone you would like to send some love and kindness out to.
Another achievable and very beneficial mindful practice can be something as simple as colouring. The process allows us to switch off extraneous thoughts and focus on the present and many studies suggest it is great for relaxation, reducing anxiety and stress and improving focus.
Mindful techniques are featured as part of our #OsiusRefresh 3 day plan, available for free with every Osius purchase. The plan includes a nutritional plan, and you will be guided through a daily mindfulness technique, a yoga practice, and reflection tasks to help track your progress, find out more about #OsiusRefresh 3 day plan click here.
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