Blog

FINALLY A CHANCE TO CATCH YOUR BREATH!

Life has become very busy for many of us and sometimes we wonder have we shown up at all. If someone was to take a roll call would we even put up our hand! Many of us live in auto-pilot and devote much of our time just doing while our thoughts are elsewhere. We spend a lot of time in a sort of trance, made up of the past, the future and other thoughts. Mindfulness practice invites us to pay attention to the actual moment we can experience – the present! Mindfulness is a very old technique which is becoming increasingly popular at the present time.

At its simplest, mindfulness means being aware of what you are doing while you are doing it. Mindfulness is a practice that allows us to show up and be present in our lives as if it really matters!! That doesn’t mean we can no longer think about the past or future, but when we do so we do so mindfully, so that we’re aware that right now we’re thinking about the past or future and not just caught up in the trance of our internal thoughts or indeed on auto-pilot.

In the practice of mindfulness we are mindful of what our senses are bringing us, our hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell. Mindfulness invites one to pay attention to these senses in a non-judgemental way. The Breath is an always present object of mindfulness and awareness. Simply by gently bringing your attention to your breathing and noticing perhaps your in-breath and out-breath you are bringing your awareness to the present moment, in a sense you are taking a moment to ‘catch your breath’! As we take about 20,000 breaths per day there is plenty of opportunity to practice this simple mindful exercise.

Mindfulness has many benefits and can enrich many of life’s experiences. Mindfulness promotes clarity of mind, well being and it has a strong evidence base for stress reduction and improved sleep. It is discrete, free and mobile. Even in our frantic world mindfulness practice can give you a sense of space and perspective.

Leanne Cantwell, systemic psychotherapist