Let's move on to an experiential look at mindfulness now that we've established a basis in understanding the various scientific issues, paradigms, and strategies by which scientists are approaching mindfulness. Here we look at mindfulness from the viewpoint of a first-person observer, providing realistic approaches to grasp mindfulness as well as stories from our students' lives.
We encourage you to try mindfulness. Here we characterize mindfulness, justify its advantages, and discuss its significance, but you can only approach it on a philosophical basis before you practice it. Mindfulness is interesting to observe, but it is the experience that has the most transforming power.
Practicing Mindfulness in Everyday Life
What does it mean to have a mindfulness experience? Consider a time in your life when you were fully conscious, such as when you were strolling through the park and your sensory field came alive, or when you were listening to your favorite songs. Examine the memory of the situation and attempt to recall the following details: How did you feel at the time? What did you see, hear, smell, or taste when you were there?
Perhaps you were outdoors in nature, where the sun shone brightly and the sky was a deep blue. Perhaps you were walking in the forests, in a field, or on a beach, and with each step you took, you felt a feeling of connecting with yourself or the natural world that was difficult to explain.
Instead of being lost in thought, you feel energized, alive, and really "in your body" with each muscle movement. For a brief moment, you might have felt relieved from a slew of distracting, insignificant, or even significant problems that had been troubling you. These concerns may have also dissipated.
You were there and linked to the moment simply by walking. The majority of us have had such an experience at least once in our lives, and some of us have had it more often. This can happen in a variety of settings, not just in nature.
We may experience similar feelings of well-being, comfort, attachment, and peace at any moment. Maybe you get this feeling when you're doing something artistic like drawing, blogging, or playing music. It could happen when you're running the second mile, swimming, or playing a pickup basketball game.
Maybe this is how you felt when you first fell in love and it looked as though you were the only two people on the planet. Perhaps it came to you after the birth of your child or when you were out with a grandchild. Both of these situations are normal, and we've all been through them at some point. The majority of them happen on their own, without any effort on our part.
None of these encounters was magical, extraordinary, or exalted in some way. We have them in the midst of our everyday lives, not when fasting in a cave in the Himalayas.
We may not have called them "mindfulness" at the time, but they are genuine, normal, and lived experiences that demonstrate our innate capacity to be mindful.
You may also want to read more about Mindfulness Meditation and Healing here.