As you walk down the street, are you taking in the beauty of nature around you or staring at the ground already thinking about what you are going to do when you reach your destination? Are you engaged with your loved ones or are you internally worrying about situations beyond your control? Most importantly, are these distractions and worries taking away from what really matters in your life? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then it is important to learn about mindfulness. According to Juliet Adams, the founder and director of www.mindfulnet.org, practicing mindfulness is being more aware of your daily experiences and looking at different situations in a positive and clear way. My hope is that if we study and learn from mindfulness, people of all ages will be able to live their lives in a more peaceful and appreciative manner.
In order to really grasp what mindfulness is, one must look at how to practice it. Ruth Ostrow, a journalist for The Australian, experienced first hand when researching mindfulness how it felt, how it was practiced, and how it changed her state of mind. Ostrow explains that after meditating on what is happening within you and around you for a long enough period of time, you are able to be more aware of what you are experiencing in your everyday life (Ostrow, The Australian, 2015). She explains that after meditating on what is happening around you in a quiet, calm, closed-eyes state, you are able to look at the world in a more serene and appreciative way (Ostrow, The Australian, 2015). Ostrow went on to make an interesting analogy about mindfulness, she says, “mindfulness is a state of dual consciousness, where you are both the player and the observer watching yourself from the stadium at the same time” (Ostrow, The Australian, 2015). This means that while we are taking action in our own lives, we are also aware of the bigger picture of what is going on all around us.
The best ways to practice mindfulness are to try to reach the calmest state of mind that you can, once you have relaxed the mind, try to focus purely on what is happening around you. Focus on the smallest aspects of the world around you. Take deep breaths as you notice the birds in the trees, the soft, green grass, and the dinner you share with family and friends. It is so important to be fully present in our day-to-day lives. Mindfulness can be practiced every minute of every day and you have the power to practice it within yourself. Everyone faces stresses each and everyday, but it is important to take care of our minds and ourselves by being aware of what is around us.
Practicing mindfulness is not just practicing a form of meditation. Being mindful is a way of life. Learning to focus on and enjoy the simple parts of your everyday life, while being aware of how you feel on the inside and out, is beneficial to everyone. Whether you are aware of the positivity in your life when feeling stressed, notice just how beautiful the changing leaves are on your drive home from work, or put down your cell phones and really experience the joy of a family dinner, mindfulness can be beneficial in every aspect of your life.
