What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is simply learning to notice what is happening while it is happening. By paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, breathing and bodily sensations, we can create space between experience and reaction. Meditation, breathing and relaxation are simple practices that can help us become less reactive and more able to choose where we place our attention.

Mindfulness is often described as paying attention to the present moment without judgement.

That’s a reasonable starting point, but it can sound rather abstract.

In practice, mindfulness is simply learning to notice what is happening while it is happening.

You notice your breathing.

You notice sensations in your body.

You notice sounds around you.

You notice thoughts appearing in your mind.

You notice bodily sensations.

And, importantly, you don’t necessarily have to do anything about them.

This is different from thinking about your experience. Instead of analysing why you feel tense, you notice that you feel tense. Instead of becoming absorbed in a worrying thought, you notice that your mind is worrying.

That small distinction can create some space between what is happening and what you do about it.

I have found this particularly useful in helping people become less reactive. Mindfulness isn’t about making difficult thoughts and feelings disappear. It is about becoming more able to meet them without automatically being carried away by them.

Regular mindfulness practice is the most effective way I know to develop inner peace, calm and equanimity. It has also been shown to boost resilience, stabilise mental health problems, and improve health and wellbeing.

Meditation is practice, not performance

There is sometimes an unfortunate tendency to turn meditation into another thing we are supposed to be good at.

People tell me:

“I can’t meditate. My mind won’t stop.”

But that is rather like saying:

“I can’t go to the gym because my muscles aren’t already strong.”

The wandering mind is not a failure of meditation. Noticing that your mind has wandered is part of the practice.

You notice.

You return your attention.

And then you notice again when it wanders.

That is the exercise.

Over time, this simple process can help develop greater familiarity with our own mental habits. We become better at recognising when we are distracted, caught up in worry, lost in memories or running through imaginary future scenarios.

The aim isn’t to achieve a permanently peaceful mind. That would be an unrealistic expectation.

The aim is to become more capable of choosing where to put your attention.

Relaxation and breathing

Breathing is one of the simplest ways into this work because it is always with us.

We don’t have to buy anything, go anywhere or wait for the right conditions.

When we deliberately pay attention to breathing, we have an immediate opportunity to shift our attention away from mental chatter and towards something happening in the present.

Different breathing practices can be used for different purposes. Some are particularly useful for settling down; others can help with alertness and concentration.

Relaxation works in a similar way.

Learning to recognise unnecessary physical tension gives us another way of responding to stress. Instead of waiting until we are completely wound up before doing something about it, we can learn to notice the early signs and intervene sooner.

These are small skills, but they can become valuable habits.

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