Being Mindful

Mindfulness is knowing what is happening, when it is happening. It is about paying attention on purpose to the present moment and being in the now, without making judgements. Most of us are rarely in the present moment, we tend to be caught up in thinking about past situations or future events. We get lost in our thoughts, thinking these thoughts are who we are and being on automatic pilot, driven by habits. Mindfulness teaches us to live in the now, being in the present moment without any distractions.

Being mindful is all about us mastering our minds, rather than our minds mastering us. How many times have we made a mountain out of a mole hill, only to find nothing has changed and our reality is exactly the same - yet our minds told us something completely different.

Practicing mindfulness is a beautiful thing. Having 70,000 thoughts in a day, it is essential we keep them positive as they will create our reality. Filling ourselves up with negative thoughts really does have a negative effect on our emotions.

Adopting a mindful practice means having awareness of any negative thought, then letting it go or consciously choosing to replace it with a positive one. It works the same way with unhealthy habits, when we are aware of them we can choose to change them but until that moment of awareness, we may not even know what our habits are.

A great way to add mindfulness into our daily lives, is to keep it simple. Start with being mindful of your feet.

- How do both feet feel right now?
- Are your feet comfortable in the shoes you are wearing?
- How do you walk?
- Are your steps heavy or light, which part of your foot takes all the weight?
- Do you drag your heels when you walk?
- Listen to your footsteps, what are they telling you?
- Do you feel a spring in your step?
- Do not judge your feet, be mindful of them.
- Thank them.

We can add simple awareness and mindfulness into all aspects of our lives using this approach. If a situation or person is bothering you, be mindful of your thoughts and seek to change them. Thinking the worst case scenario over and over is unhealthy on all levels of our wellbeing, so stop, be aware and let go. Doing this on a regular basis will liberate you and your mind. After all, you are the master of your own mind. 

Click here to visit my website