Mindfulness is an old concept that may be found in both Eastern and Western cultures.
The ancient Indian term Sati, which denotes awareness, attention, and remembering, is translated as mindfulness.
1. Awareness.
- This is a feature of being human that allows you to be aware of your surroundings. Nothing would exist for you if you were not aware.
2. Attention.
- Mindfulness training improves your capacity to shift and maintain your attention anywhere and however you choose.
3. Remembering.
- Remembering to pay attention to your experience from moment to moment is an important component of mindfulness.
It's easy to forget to be attentive. The words re'again' and memorari'be aware of' are derived from the Latin re'again' and memorari'be mindful of'.
- Let's say you want to learn to be more attentive to help you deal with stress.
- You start to feel anxious and nervous at work as you think about your upcoming presentation.
- You remember to concentrate your attentive attention on your own breathing rather than continuously fretting once you become aware of this.
- Slowly calming yourself down by feeling your breath with a sense of warmth and kindness.
‘Mindfulness may be fostered by paying attention in a particular manner, that is, in the present moment, as non-reactively, non-judgmentally, and openheartedly as possible,' says Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who created mindfulness in a therapeutic context.
You may deconstruct the meaning even more:
- I'm paying attention to what's going on.
- To be aware, you must pay attention to whatever it is that you choose to focus on.
- Now is the time.
The truth of being in the here and now is that all you have to do is be aware of how things are right now.
- Your own experience is genuine and accurate in its whole.
- In a non-reactive manner.
- Normally, when you encounter something, you respond to it instinctively based on your previous training.
- If you think, "I still haven't completed my job," you will respond in some way with thoughts, words, and actions.
- Instead of reacting to ideas, mindfulness encourages you to respond to your experience.
A reaction is uncontrollable and leaves you with no option; a response is intentional and deliberated action.
- In a nonjudgmental manner.
- It's easy to categorize experiences as positive or negative, as something you enjoy or hate.
- I want to be happy; I don't enjoy being scared.
Allowing yourself to let go of judgments allows you to view things as they are rather than through the lens of your own particular judgments based on previous training.
- With all of my heart.
- Mindfulness is more than a state of consciousness.
- Mindfulness is also a matter of the heart.
Being open-hearted means infusing your experience with qualities such as kindness, compassion, warmth, and friendliness.
If you catch yourself thinking, "I'm worthless at meditation," you may learn to let go of this critical thought and gently return your attention to the meditation's objective, whatever that may be.
You may also want to read more about Mindfulness Meditation here.