Mindfulness
By The Yoga Loft Last updated
In short
Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and without judgement. It is simply awareness of whatever is happening right now, accepting it rather than labelling it good or bad. Yoga and meditation are ways to practise it, and regular practice can bring more insight into your thoughts and feelings, clearer decisions and more gratitude in everyday life.
Be. Here. Now.
Mindfulness is a concept you may well have heard or read about. So what is mindfulness, and how do you do it?
Mindfulness: what is it?
“The little things. They aren’t little.” Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness is a meditation technique aimed at focusing the mind on the present moment. It means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.
Now, bear with us, that’s a lot to think about, but here we try to explain a little about the basics of mindfulness and how it can benefit you.
We are all masters of multi-tasking, busy within our day to day lives, moving from one thing to the next with a million things to think about. Is it any wonder that we are constantly thinking about the next thing on our to do list before we’ve even finished the task in hand? In our rush to get things ticked off, we often lose that delicate connection with the present moment, the here and now, and we are simply not aware of what we are doing and how we are feeling in the moment.
Mindfulness: awareness of the now
Simply put, mindfulness is just awareness of whatever is happening right now. However, there is another important ingredient of mindfulness, which is non-judgement: the acceptance of simply what is. This involves not categorising experiences as pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad, but just observing them.
Benefits of mindfulness
Researchers have been studying mindfulness for many years, looking at its effects on physical and mental health and overall wellbeing.
Regular practice of mindfulness can help us to:
- Gain insight into our own feelings and thoughts.
- Have greater clarity in decision making, and be more productive and creative.
- Have more gratitude and spontaneity in life.
Developing mindfulness
Taking time out for yoga or meditation in our everyday life can help us stay mindful and improve the overall quality of our lives.
An element of mindfulness is present in all of our yoga classes, but for those of you who wish to go deeper into mindfulness, try our Restorative Yoga classes.
