On Friday I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to run some mindfulness taster sessions at our staff INSET day. We discussed the amount of time we all spend on autopilot and the downsides of this in our emotional lives. Automatic mode often means we miss signals that tell us how we are feeling; we are likely to perform at less than our optimum in any given situation because our minds are busy and distracted. It is therefore useful to see if we can move ourselves out of autopilot is to see if we can focus concentration on everyday activities. I often try to take a mindful shower as otherwise I find I’ve missed it because my mind was too busy in a maze of worry thoughts about the day or week ahead. Mindfulness is about training the mind to rest in awareness, free of any bias or judgment. It’s all about finding some space in what can be a frenetic world. However, it is easier to practise developing mindfulness skills through taking time out to be quiet and still. Like exercise it works best when it is a habit; it’s something you need to do rather than read about. After all if you can change your experience of the world you can effectively change it.
It is not about stopping our thoughts or clearing our minds as that’s impossible. It is about anchoring ourselves in the present moment. Try sitting down for a few minutes and taking your attention to your breathing. Spend time observing your thoughts and allowing them to come and go if you can. When your mind wanders simply bring it back to your breath. Perhaps try this initially for two minutes at a time on a daily basis and try extending the time you spend in this way gradually. You will be able to see how this feels and get an opportunity to see your thoughts from a different perspective.
Mindfulness has a lot of possibilities; it can help us manage our stress and give us space to respond rather than react in difficult situations. It can make us feel more fulfilled through being ok with our current experience. This can have a more lasting impact than chasing after one thing after another in order to feel temporary happiness.
Please ask me for more information if you are interested in learning mindfulness skills.
aggsyoga 
Posted on November 26, 2011
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