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What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness refers to the practice of being present and fully engaged in the current moment, without judgment. It is often associated with meditation and other mindfulness-based practices.
While mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism and has been practiced for thousands of years, it has gained popularity in recent years as a secular, evidence-based approach to mental and physical well-being. Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American professor of medicine, introduced the concept of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in the 1970s, which helped to bring mindfulness into mainstream Western medicine and psychology.
A lot has been written about the benefits of mindfulness and learning to become more mindful in our day to day lives. There are many ways to begin a mindfulness practice, but below we list five of the more common ways to practice mindfulness.- Meditation: This is one of the most popular ways to practice mindfulness. You can start by sitting in a comfortable position, focusing on your breath, and allowing your thoughts to come and go without judgment. You can begin with as little as 5-10 minutes per day, and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable with the practice.
- Yoga: Yoga is a physical practice that can also help to promote mindfulness. It involves moving the body through a series of postures, while also focusing on the breath. This can help to promote relaxation and reduce stress.
- Journaling: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be a great way to practice mindfulness. This can help you to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions, and understand them better.
- Mindful movement: This can include walking, running, cycling, swimming and other activities where you focus your attention on your body movements, breathing and sensation in the present moment.
- Mindful eating: This involves paying attention to the taste, smell, and texture of your food as you eat, rather than eating mindlessly or while distracted.
- Use the 5 senses method; A simple but effective mindfulness exercise is to notice what you are experiencing right now through any - or all of - your five senses: sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell.
Look for 5 things that you can see, 4 things that you can touch, 3 things that you can hear, 2 things that you can smell and 1 thing that you can taste.
It's important to find a method that works for you, and to stick with it over time to see the benefits. Also, it's a good idea to set aside a specific time each day for your practice, so that it becomes a regular part of your routine.
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