What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness invites us to be receptive to what is happening in this present moment. Mindfulness is often described as ‘deliberately paying attention to this very moment without passing judgment or expectation’ (adapted from Jon Kabat Zinn).  So you may think that sounds simple – pay attention to this very moment.  Simple yes, easy no!

You see our minds aren’t used to paying attention to this very moment on a consistent basis.  Sure we can pay attention when we need to like watching a movie or playing a game, but for most of the time we are lost in thinking and often we don’t even realise it.

We can be busy in our heads planning our next meeting or going over some conversation or argument we had yesterday, last week, maybe even from five years ago! Perhaps even while reading this you have been thinking about the emails you need to write, or rehearsing for the next important conversation you want to have with someone who is difficult or challenging.

You may have been caught up in blaming yourself for something you haven’t done or need to do. Perhaps you have been thinking that you won’t be able to do something in the future.

Mindfulness – the time to start is now!

So to start a new way of paying attention, just like starting a new exercise routine, you need to start to be present one step at a time.

At Exploring Mindful Moments we can help you build your mindfulness practice either through one of our programs or if you don’t want to commit to a multi-week program, you may like to come along to our Monday Meditations.