Mindfulness Information

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the act of concentrating on the present and letting go of things that share no relationship with the present. During practice, it brings the attention of the doer to the internal as well as external experiences of the person in the moment. The existence of everything other than the momentary experience is ignored for the sake of concentration.

Focusing on the present is an act which sounds easy to perform but is very difficult to practice. The human brain is like a bouncing ball of madness which likes to keep thinking about things which occurred a long time ago or might occur some time later in life. The ability to concentrate on where we are and what we are doing is not easy to attain but is very important if one wants to develop a sense of peace and security.

What are the benefits?

The practice of mindfulness has been around for thousands of years with many people claiming anecdotally to have attained a sense of inner peace via regular practice. There have been some scientific studies which have discovered the following benefits of mindfulness which should encourage you to start developing the quality. These include the following:

Learn some deeper things about yourself

The most difficult philosophical question which one can answer is “who am I?” Are you what you do? Or are you the things you like to do? One can learn deeper things about oneself and attain spiritual enlightenment through the practice of mindfulness. Your subconscious is revealed to you in the most detailed way if you become more mindful.

Reduce levels of stress

Mindfulness has been found to alleviate symptoms of stress through the decrease in the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. People who practice mindfulness meditation tend to feel much more relaxed than their non practicing counterparts.

Get better control over your emotions

Anxiety and depression are often exacerbated by a lack of control over unwanted and negative emotions. Mindfulness meditation provides relief by training the user to gradually develop some measure of control over these emotions and reduce the effects they have on their lives.

Lower the risk of depression

Depression is a disease of the mind which is underestimated by those who have never experienced it. Pregnant women, elderly, and teens are at the highest risk of developing this mental disorder. Studies have found that through the practice of mindfulness meditation, they have been able to control the symptoms of depression as they experience less stress and anxiety.

Overall, mindfulness is not something you should do just for making yourself more focused but it is an art you should practice to make your life much easier on multiple levels.

Further Information

http://www.livingwell.org.au/mindfulness-exercises-3/