Mindfulness is taken from ancient Eastern traditions and practices that have been integrated with Western science and psychology
It has been adapted for a modern secular culture
It has become a very popular and effective way of establishing wellbeing and good mental health
It is supported by scientific research
It is gentle and non-invasive
It is simple and powerful
It only requires what you already have, your 5 senses
Using our 5 senses, we come back to the here and now, we come back to reality - how it is rather than how we think it is.
We do this by simply using our attention to notice what is arising in the field of consciousness, thoughts, emotions, sensations.
This is very powerful as it interrupts the habit of getting lost in negative thoughts and rumination.
Through direct experience, we explore what is really here and not what we think is here. What is really going on rather than the stories we lay upon our experience - it is about becoming self-aware and seeing clearly.
Along with this we cultivate a non-judgmental awareness and befriend ourselves. When we become the witness of our experience in a non-judgmental way, we are better able to make more conscious choices that are in line with our ethics.
We reconnect with ourselves more intimately, feeling our aliveness and our very precious humanness, which naturally extends to our community as we rediscover our common humanity.
We learn to respond rather than react.
Thanks to ground-breaking neuroscience, research has now shown the positive effects that practising mindfulness can have on the brain and therefore the whole body, helping to relieve not only minor life struggles but more serious mental health issues. Contrary to common belief our brain is actually quite adaptable, this is called neuroplasticity. It is the ability of the brain to learn new skills. So yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Learning new skills such as Mindfulness can rewire our brain in a beneficial way.
“You are whole and also part of larger circles of wholeness you may not even know about. You are never alone. And you already belong. You belong to humanity. You belong to life. You belong to this moment, this breath.
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
Is Mindfulness for Me?
Yes,
If you would like to understand how your mind works and become more aware of the thoughts and emotions that pass through and how they influence your behaviour.
If you are interested in learning about Mindfulness and Meditation.
If you can commit to the meditation practice between weekly classes.
If you would like to experience living in the moment.
If you are simply bored with the repetitive script in your head.
If you find that you get caught in a negative narrative.
Maybe not,
Mindfulness might not be for you at this time if you are in the midst of a life crisis or life-changing event, you are recently bereaved, you are experiencing a depressive episode, you have a drug or alcohol dependence, or you are on medication that would affect your ability to meditate. If you are unsure please call me for a chat.
My soul tells me
we were all broken from the same nameless heart
and every living thing wakes with a piece of that original heart aching its way into blossom.
This is why we know each other below our strangeness.
Why when we fall, we lift each other
or when in pain, we hold each other.
Why when sudden with joy, we dance together.
Life is the many pieces of that great heart loving itself back together.
- Mark Nepo, The Exquisite Risk
