Mindfulness has become a wellbeing buzz word in recent years but with its benefits supported by research, there is a good reason for the hype. Here’s what mindfulness can do for you and how to get started.
Benefits of mindfulness
Mindfulness has now been brought into mainstream medicine with evidence that practising mindfulness can bring about improvements in both physical and psychological health.
Benefits include:
Improvement in overall wellbeing
Mindfulness helps to promote gratitude and contentment. By focusing on the here and now, you are less likely to get caught up on worries about the future or regrets from the past.
Improvement in physical health
Scientists have discovered that mindfulness techniques help improve physical health in a number of ways, including:
- Helps to relieve stress
- Lowers blood pressure
- Reduces chronic pain
- Improves sleep
- Alleviates gastrointestinal difficulties
Improvement in mental health
Mindfulness meditation is now used by psychotherapists to treat a number of mental health issues including depression and anxiety.
How to get started with mindfulness
There are many ways to start incorporating mindfulness into your everyday life. The goal is to achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by paying attention to thoughts, feelings and sensations without judgement.
An informal way to get started with mindfulness is to start training yourself to stay present while undertaking your normal, everyday activities.
You can choose any task or moment to practice informal mindfulness, whether you are eating, showering, walking, brushing your teeth, or washing up.
These tips will help you to stay in the moment:
- Start by bringing your attention to the sensations in your body.
- Breathe in through your nose, allowing the air downward into your lower belly. Let your abdomen expand fully.
- Now breathe out through your mouth.
- Notice the sensations of each inhalation and exhalation.
- Proceed with the task at hand slowly and with full deliberation.
- Engage your senses fully. Notice each sight, touch, and sound so that you savour every sensation.
- When you notice that your mind has wandered from the task at hand, gently bring your attention back to the sensations of the moment.
Mindfulness meditation
A more formal approach is to make time to do a mindfulness meditation during your day. There are now a lot of free apps and websites that offer guided meditations, including Smiling Mind and Headspace.
A basic DIY method is to try the following exercise:
- Sit on a straight-backed chair or cross-legged on the floor.
- Focus on an aspect of your breathing, such as the sensations of air flowing into your nostrils and out of your mouth, or your belly rising and falling as you inhale and exhale.
- Once you’ve narrowed your concentration in this way, begin to widen your focus. Become aware of sounds, sensations, and your ideas.
- Embrace and consider each thought or sensation without judging it good or bad. If your mind starts to race, return your focus to your breathing. Then expand your awareness again.