Research shows that incorporating mindfulness into our daily activities can significantly improve the quality of our lives. But what exactly is mindfulness, and how do we practice it?
Defining Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the current moment, aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. Let’s explore a few definitions from experts in the field:
- Guy Armstrong, Meditation Teacher: “Mindfulness is knowing what you are experiencing while you are experiencing it. It is moment-to-moment awareness, has the quality of being in the now. There’s a sense of freedom, of perspective, of being connected, not judging.”
- Jon Kabat-Zinn: “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way. On purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
- Rick Hanson, Author of ‘The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha’s Brain’: “Being mindful means having good control over your attention. The attention can be placed wherever you want. It stays there, and when you want to move your attention to something else, you can. Attention is like a spotlight, and what it illuminates streams into the mind and shapes your brain. So developing greater control over attention is the single most powerful way to reshape the brain and thus the mind.”
In essence, mindfulness is a practice where we focus on whatever task we are doing at a particular moment. We give it our undivided attention, aware of our thoughts and emotions but not reacting to or judging them.
What Mindfulness is Not
Mindfulness is neither trying to relax nor emptying the mind of its thoughts. Instead, it involves being an observer of our thoughts and emotions without the need to get involved with them. This helps us be less reactive and make intimate contact with each moment of our lives, however trivial or mundane it might be.
When we stay present and aware as we go about our day-to-day activities, it becomes an informal meditation practice. This can substantially help reduce the stress we accumulate throughout the day.
How Can We Improve Our Attention?
We all have different attention spans, and many of us feel like we’re losing them. However, with practice, we can improve it. Here are a few ways to enhance attention and focus:
1. Set an Intention
Set an intention to become more mindful at the beginning of any activity that requires focus. The intention can be a simple phrase like, “May my mind be steady.” Repeating the intention every few minutes can help us stay focused.
2. Get Alert
The brain cannot be attentive unless it is fully awake. A few factors that can increase alertness include:
- Sitting Tall: This sends signals to the nerves in our brainstem, involved with wakefulness and consciousness, to stay alert.
- Visualizing: Imagine a ray of light, which induces a surge of epinephrine throughout the brain, fostering alertness.
- Deep Breathing: Taking several deep breaths can increase oxygen supply and rev up the brain.
3. Quiet the Mind
When the mind is quiet, fewer things bubble up to distract it, making it easier to stay mindful. One way of achieving this quiet state is by becoming aware of the whole body. Start by bringing attention to the breath and observe the sensations at the nostrils, throat, chest, and belly. Then, move your attention to the sensations in your whole body. This helps in quieting the mind and makes resting in awareness much easier.
Formal and Informal Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be practiced both formally and informally. Informal mindfulness involves paying close attention to what is occurring in the present moment while doing routine activities. This could be focusing on the feeling of your feet touching the ground while standing, or being fully present while eating, walking, or brushing your teeth.
Formal mindfulness practice is more intensive and involves setting aside specific time to be mindful of what we are sensing, feeling, or thinking. An example of this is mindfulness meditation, which helps us look into our minds at a deeper level and, with regular practice, can yield deeper insights.
Practicing Formal Mindfulness
To start practicing formal mindfulness, find an anchor to focus on when the mind gets distracted. Examples include sound, body sensations, and breath.
- Sound as an Anchor: Listen to different sounds with eyes closed, letting any sound come trickling in. Listen without judging or labeling, and bring your mind back to listening if it starts to wander.
- Breath as an Anchor: Feel the breath as it enters the nostrils, moves through the throat, into the chest, and observe the movement of the belly. Focus on the breath and return to it whenever the mind gets distracted.
- Body Sensations with the Breath as the Anchor: Observe different sensations in the body, such as tingling, heartbeat, or tension. If distracted, return to observing the breath and then tune back into body sensations.
Incorporating Mindfulness into Yoga
The meaning of yoga is to unite the body and the mind. When we coordinate movement with breath, paying attention to the sensations in the body as we move, completely feeling the experience without judgment or expectations, yoga becomes a mindful exercise and a meditative practice. When the mind wanders, use the breath as the anchor.
The Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness has a wide variety of benefits, including:
- Emotional Regulation: Helps regulate emotions and reduce stress.
- Non-Judgmental Attitudes: Lowers judgmental attitudes.
- Improved Memory and Focus: Enhances memory and focus.
- Reshaping Brain Structures: Meditation increases gray matter in brain regions involved in attention, compassion, and empathy.
Observing Without Attaching
Mindfulness practitioners develop the ability to recognize thought patterns and observe them without becoming involved. This helps calm the brain and makes it easier to deal with emotions.
Responding Rather Than Reacting
Research shows that mindfulness changes how we react to situations and perceive things. By not reacting unnecessarily, the mind quiets down, helping to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and the relaxation response. Paying undivided attention to our actions makes us less judgmental and more in control of our responses.
Improvement in Cognitive Skills
Mindfulness brings insight and wisdom. Meditation, a formal mindfulness practice, increases gray matter in brain regions that handle attention, compassion, and empathy, improving cognitive skills and physiological functioning.
Reshaping Your Brain with Mindfulness
A Harvard study reported that brain structures change after only eight weeks of mindfulness meditation practice. Increased gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning, memory, emotion regulation, sense of self, and perspective was observed. Meditation participants reported improved mindfulness measures and reduced stress levels.
Conclusion
Mindfulness practice helps reshape the brain, balance our emotional well-being, and improve our attention. By observing our thoughts and emotions without reacting to them, we gain greater control over our minds, leading to enhanced quality of life. Incorporating mindfulness into our daily routine, whether through informal activities or formal meditation, can bring significant benefits to our mental and physical health.
