I read an article recently that was overall, pretty disparaging about mindfulness.  And it made me a bit angry.  I understand that, that was the point of the article, but anger isn’t an emotion that I experience frequently, so it really got my attention.  Now, I try to be of the opinion that someone else’s opinion is none of my business, we’re all entitled to an opinion of our own after all.  What worried me in this case, was that someone might read the article and get the wrong end of the stick. They might miss out on something that might really help them on account of reading the article and deciding not to explore mindfulness further.

Here’s a gross over simplification of the article – that mindfulness has been commoditised, taken away from its roots, encourages individualistic behaviour and makes individuals responsible for resolving the wrong doings of large corporates and capitalism.  And in doing all this, it’s thwarting radicalism and supporting the status quo.

Woah.

Well first, I’ll relent in saying that of course mindfulness has been commoditised. I agree with that. And while it comes from Buddhist roots, it’s been popularised through secular practices, hence the arguments you’ll hear about “McMindfulness”.  While it’s important to retain authenticity, I’m a big believer in evolution and if something has been developed/evolved in such a way that it benefits more people without doing any damage, then this can surely only be a good thing. Read on for more benefits of mindfulness.

Jon Kabat Zinn is the man accredited with bringing mindfulness as we know it to the west.  This happened in the late 1970s.  Yes, it really has been around that long.  Jon Kabat Zinn first developed his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course in a bid to help patients at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre, to relate to their medical conditions in a different way (note no promise to “cure”).  Today, there have been numerous scientific studies demonstrating the merits of mindfulness (see Google if you’re curious) as well as the development of numerous different mindfulness courses.  And in 2014, the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group was set up in the UK to look into research on the subject, as well as its validity and application towards policy.  All of this would indicate that it’s definitely “a thing”.

Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs) are consistently found to reduce levels of stress, rumination and anger, while improving positive outlook, empathy, self-compassion and overall quality of life.  And while these practices encourage you to think about yourself (the article’s argument about individualistic behaviour), the whole point in this is that it encourages you to be aware of what’s going on internally and in doing so, it transforms the way you relate to others. To pause before reacting. To slow down and find more harmony between doing and being.  The introspection allows practitioners to get curious about what’s going on, rather than just constantly striving and achieving. Ongoing practice also helps us focus more and become less taken away by the numerous distractions of modern day life.

You can read about mindfulness all you like but the only way to really get it, is to practice it yourself.  How?  There are a number of mindfulness practices you can adopt yourself that are really straight forward. 

The simplest thing to do, is focus on your breath.  Why?  Because by focusing on your breath you can’t think about yesterday or tomorrow. You can’t breathe for 10 mins ago or 10 mins in the future. You are literally breathing for the here and now.  So, follow your breath as you inhale and then when you exhale.  Doing this for as little as 3 minutes can evoke a sense of calm as you switch on your parasympathetic nervous system.

Another simple practice is to focus on your senses.  Take for example eating breakfast and taking the time to notice the appearance of what you’re eating, its aroma, to savour its taste and texture.  Or being in the shower and observing the sensation of water against your skin, its temperature, the sound of the running water and the smell of your soap.

Of course, none of this is an overnight fix (sorry).  But with ongoing practice of simple techniques such as those described, we can develop new habits almost like we would strengthen a muscle.  Like all things, take what works for you and leave what doesn’t!

For those of you interested, you might like to embark on a class led mindfulness course to get you started.  If you’d like to hear more, I’m holding a free workshop this Thursday, 25 July at Make Me Feel on Abbeville Road. I’ll also be announcing the details of my mindfulness course which I’m running starting this September.  Contact me, nikki@mindfulswan.com for details or sign up to my newsletter if you haven’t already done so.