What is Mindfulness?

When hearing the word “mindfulness”  you probably imagine a person engaged in meditation. This is formal mindfulness. The other form of mindfulness is informal mindfulness. This means bringing full attention to present moments and really experiencing them.

Here is what people say about mindfulness:

-It is being engaged with what we’re doing in each moment, rather than being distracted with thoughts, when we’re daydreaming about the past or the future, or caught up in reactions.

-It is an everyday experience of being engaged and present with whatever we’re doing from moment to moment.

-Mindfulness serves me well. I bring attention to senses or consciously slow breathing when I feel I have to hurry and it helps.

-Formal mindfulness like meditation works well to ground me, re-balance during the day when my focus goes down.

-It increases my performance as I learn to be really focus and try to be present, listen more effectively, and work more effectively.

-I find a quiet place and indeed, when I meditate I am able to recollect myself. It makes me feeling calm, concentrated and focused.

-I need to slow down during days and stop rushing. When I practice formal mindfulness I can be fully relaxed and absorbed; no distracting thoughts and attending to the guidance almost hundred percent.

-It’s still difficult to be fully present at tasks, routine or doing mundane stuff. Frequently my thoughts are ahead of time. Literally, I have to tell myself “STOP” to interrupt thinking about what else I have to finish and mindfully attend to the moments. Mindfulness works for me.

-A healthy level of self-criticism helps to develop insight, ability to reflect, learn and self-correct. When self-criticism becomes my default I lose the sense to objectively recognize circumstances or conditions, protect the good feelings & move on. Detachment that mindfulness offers, allows me seeing beyond the things I am emotionally attached to.

-I believe mindfulness helps me to identify areas of my personal challenge, especially those deformed by negative emotional experiences and hurts.

-With mindfulness self-esteem improves & I can objectively recognize myself, accept flaws, mistakes, failures or even good happenings. I stop labeling & gently notice wrong or right doings.

-Formal mindfulness is like opening the door, letting my inner friend come in, allowing myself to listen my own voice talking kindly to be.

-Probably, by default self-critics are too loud. I noticed when practicing mindfulness I am kind to myself, become kind to others, I am patient & open minded.

-When I can hang on genteelness I relate to others differently. With mindfulness I am better in recognizing my good qualities, grasping opportunities because my awareness shifts and allowing others to experience the same.

-At its essence, mindfulness is being in the moment.

-Mindfulness is gently redirecting my attention to the present moment, to let go of worries and rumination.

-Probably there are moments throughout the day when we’re mindful and present in the things we enjoy we’re engaged. But mostly we run on automatic pilot with low awareness. That’s why we need mindfulness.

-Sometimes we think that we plan or evaluate but we rather get caught or dwell. Mindfulness takes us back to the now.

-We can be opinionated and specially, when talking to someone whose ideas are conflicting with ours we are judgmental. We don’t fully listen to the other party or in the mind we engaged in conversation while the other party talks and we miss them. Mindfulness doesn’t allow this.

-Few months ago when I started experimenting with non-judgmental stance I realized how difficult it was. I was even judgmental about myself that I tried to be non-judgmental. I have to practice mindfulness.

-I have chosen mindfully walk, run, eat, get ready to work in the morning and doing errands. All these are mundane but doing them mindfully bring  changes my experience.