What is Mindfulness?
I remember when I first came across the word "Mindfulness" in an advertisement in my local paper. I thought to myself that it sounded like something that involved a lot of thinking!
Coupled with the fact it seemed very popular with psychologists offering CBT and other psychological techniques, it put me off looking into the subject for some time. It sounded like just another faddy, modern technique for mental health, and it sounded like a lot of work!
But thankfully I was wrong. Mindfulness does not belong to the modern psych community despite being something that is becoming commonly used nowadays and is becoming increasingly popular in those circles.
Mindfulness Meditation is a practise that comes to us from the Buddhist traditions.
The aim is to calm the mind, and to bring peace and clarity to the being.
The word Mindfulness could be changed to "Awareness" or "Presence" or even "Noticing."
It will help you get out of your head and into the now, into your body.
The Two Daggers - Pain is unavoidable, suffering is optional
According to the Buddha there are two daggers in life.
The first dagger represents painful things that happen to us that cannot be avoided. Maybe we injure ourselves, somebody is unkind, we get sick, we lose a loved one - the normal trials of life that cause us pain. Life happens and in this realm of duality we experience happiness but also sadness and pain. This is normal.
The second dagger is the one that we use to extend our pain. It is the pain we cause ourselves through our thoughts. This is unnecessary, but most people don't even know they are doing it.
The mind can be the cause of our greatest suffering.
In the words of Mark Twain, "I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."
The ego mind, called the 'monkey mind' in Buddhism is a terrible master when we allow it to control our lives.
Through Mindfulness Meditation practise we learn to observe the mind and understand that we are not our minds. You have a mind - you are not your mind.
This takes the sting out of the painful thoughts.
We learn to stop stabbing ourselves with the second dagger!
Who is it for?
Mindfulness Meditation is suitable for all. It is there for anybody who would like to learn to relax end enjoy the peace, healing and stillness this practise brings.
It is a practise you can use your whole life if you choose to.
Mindfulness Meditation is also helpful for anybody struggling with:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Excessing overthinking
Please note results are not immediate! We live in a world where we want instant results and to have everything now.
Mindfulness requires us to be patient and willing to work on ourselves.
Join one of our Mindfulness Meditation Groups or book a One on One session
Online Mindfulness Meditation - via Zoom
Online One on One Session - via Zoom
If you would like Helen to run a meditation group or workshop at your place of work, please get in touch!