The Art Of Mindfulness
There has been a lot of research into why being in the present moment is so important and how if you’re not taking in the here and now you’re not really living. As hard as this can be sometimes, truly embracing this practice is the end of suffering, and the start of setting yourself free.
Being in the present moment is something I have struggled with a lot with in my life. Sometimes it was stirring over things that had already taken place, or playing out scenarios in my head that hadn’t even happened yet. So much of my focus would be directed at worrying about these things that I would completely miss the moment I was actually in. More often than not, the moment I was almost missing was far more important than the one in my head. When you don’t know any better this is the vicious cycle you can find yourself in.
What made me change? I wanted to break the cycle of thoughts weighing me down and I knew I had the ability to change it. After extensive reading and research on quietening the mind, one day I began to put my knowledge into practice. Through a combination of meditation and mindfulness, I started to just ‘be’ in more moments than ever before. One of the biggest rewards of this shift in thinking and ‘being’ was with my two children. As the stirrings of my mind slowed, so did my pace with them. This simple awareness allowed me to just let go and enjoy the moment. This is a practice I try to make them aware of as well. Practicing mindfulness around your kids is so important not only so they can lead from your example, but so you can truly enjoy the moments and memories of simply being with them. My friend Hamish Blake does this simple practice when he is with kids everyday.
Mindfulness and meditation have made me so much more aware of my thoughts, and how I can stop my mind from dwelling on the negative. They have also made me more conscious of the fact that emotions come and go. Anger, worry, or frustration are simply fleeting feelings that cloud good energy, and aren’t worth holding onto. Mindfulness allows me a moment to find a positive response rather than jumping to an emotional one. By pausing in the present moment I allow myself to breathe and shift my focus to positive and good thoughts.
The beauty of mindfulness is that it’s vast and unending. It’s a practice that threads together the many different areas of our lives, making our spiritual life the same as our secular one. It can be applied anywhere at any time and works to open our eyes to the good that is around us at all times. How have your mindfulness practices improved your life?
