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What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is said to be the virtue of being able to have total attention towards the moment we are in, and be totally aware of it and to not get overwhelmed by the realization. Some may even consider mindfulness to be a superpower. It is an acquired quality.

Mindfulness; A superpower

The Power of Mindfulness

“Our lives are shaped by our minds. We become what we think.” – Buddha

Often in my free time, I think about this thought. I think about how my brain works, how I can change the way I think things, how I can learn to be more in the present rather than in the past or the future. I did not even know that they had such a definitive concept for the things I was feeling. Mindfulness. I came across it a few days ago, and even though it is the start of a new journey, it has already started taking its place.

How many times in our day, do we actually have a hold of where we are and what is happening around us? How many times do we actually feel our presence in the current moment, not the one which passed nor the one which is going to come next? No. The current moment. We are always so caught up with things that we never truly understand the value of our presence right at the moment. And till the time we do realize it, the moment is gone. This is why it is important that we understand mindfulness and how it works and what are the beneficial effects of it. So that we grow better and healthier every day.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is said to be the virtue of being able to have total attention towards the moment we are in, and be totally aware of it and to not get overwhelmed by the realization. Some may even consider mindfulness to be a superpower. It is an acquired quality. It cannot just be in you within a day, it requires practice and meditation. Mindfulness is also known to be able to pay kind attention. That is feelings of compassion and kindness and positivity. It also means letting go of the negative thoughts that build up in you, such as, frustration, anger, jealousy. And now that we have had a brief overview of what mindfulness really is, let us take a closer look at it.

The difference between meditation and mindfulness

It is often said that mindfulness and meditation are the same things. This is wrong. There is a big difference between what mindfulness is and what meditation is. People often confuse mindfulness to be present only when they are meditating. Which in truth is actually present even after meditation. It becomes a way of life. The way you do your everyday things, they all are influenced when you have achieved mindfulness. While when you meditate, your focus is on the present only for the time you meditate. It breaks as you end the process. It is a link formed when you put yourself in that position, wherein mindfulness, the link never breaks.

Mindfulness Techniques

There are many more ways to get into the correct frame of mind for mindfulness. But here are a few practices where you can begin:

• Put some time aside: You do not need to put up an environment with couches and cushions and candles around, you just need to set aside a few minutes of your day to sit and contemplate about things in a positive way.
• Seeing the moment for what it is: You need to understand that mindfulness is not achieving peace within yourself or calming your mind or something. It is being present in the moment which currently exists.
• Letting go of judgements: Learn to stop judging others and moreover, stop judging yourself. Judgement carries a lot of negativity, that is why during mental practices for mindfulness. When you notice judgmental thoughts, just let them go.
• Come back to where you were: Not that you just diverted a little focus towards letting go judgmental thoughts, over negative thoughts. It is time to refocus your energy to the present moment again and to spend time at this moment.
• Be kind to yourself: Be gentle and kind towards yourself. Do not get frustrated with yourself if this doesn’t work out after a session or a few. Don’t keep such expectations. Understand that this is a long journey and it will take time. And that it is completely okay to not get it right.

The art of meditation

Well most of us already know how to do so but no knowledge is too much knowledge. So let’s take a better look at how should we meditate. Firstly, meditation focuses on breathing, the very core of life. So use it, not as a physical sensation but as the thing that connects you with the present. Try sitting comfortably, getting a hold of your body as you breathe in and you breathe out. Think about the present moment that you are in. How it changes with every breath you take, how it deepens as you grow closer and closer to the moment. After you feel like you have done enough for the day, slowly and gently open your eyes and take a hold of everything you see. Grasp it. And then continue with your day with a subtle calmness inside of you.

The power of mindfulness

The world we live in today, it is important to have a hold over our spiritual well being. We are often so caught up in things and we neglect this aspect of our lives. Which is sad, because if you are mentally and spiritually well, you will definitely lead a happier, calmer and a better life. Let’s take a look at what are some of the few benefits of mindfulness.

• Reduced Stress: Mindfulness helps overcome feelings of frustration and stress. We all know what are the side effects of being stressful and who does not experience it in today’s world. It has become unavoidable. But it is very, very important for us that we overcome to lead a better and happier life.
• Emotion Regulation: It is scientifically said that being mindful increases the level at which you experience your emotions. It means that you become more deeply connected with your emotional being and it helps you be more in touch with yourself.
• Dealing with illnesses better: Mindfulness increases your ability to deal with an illness. You have a better outlook towards life and you do not feel despaired and it helps you not get post-illness diseases such as depression. It helps you understand that as long as you have life in you, you are living.
• Recovering: Mindfulness also facilitates your recovery process from a disease. Apart from supporting you through the illness, it gives you the strength to move on from it and lookout for a more positive future.
• Reduced depressive symptoms: It enhances your self-esteem and you feel more confident in yourself and less depressive. You start having a better lookout and you let go of feelings of anxiety and sadness.
• Self Compassion: One of the biggest effects that have been observed of mindfulness is that people finally get the concept of self-love. They start believing in themselves and they do not despair. It is honestly beautiful to see people finally understand their worth.
• Better physical health: Apart from making you mentally so healthy, mindfulness can also make you physically better. It helps your body function better because of the enhanced brain function.
• Spiritual connection: You have an amazing spiritual connection with yourself. There is a deeper understanding of the universe within you ever since you began your journey.
• Strengthens your core values: With mindfulness, it all becomes clearer to you. What are your inner values and what you stand for? What makes you happy. With being mentally healthy, these answers can come to you much more easily.
• Makes you truly happy: The last and the main power of mindfulness is that it truly makes you happy and content with yourself. You understand your value and your worth and you become happy with who you are and what you stand for.

In the end, I would just like to say that it is so important we know about mindfulness and we begin our journey for it. It truly is a superpower, only to be achieved after practice and patience.