Mindfulness

Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist and yoga traditions and clinical studies have shown the physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness when used in everyday life. Recent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (F-MRI) studies have shown that people who regularly practice mindfulness or meditation display a significant increase in their level of reported happiness, memory functioning, concentration, and a lowering of blood pressure and stress.

Through being mindful, we can become aware of our full range of experiences including sensations, thoughts, imagery, emotions, urges and impulses. We can observe the quality of our mind; whether the mind is calm and clear or agitated or foggy.

Because we do not judge either the content or the processes of our mind, we become freer to observe without identifying with the contents of our thoughts. We can learn to witness our stream of consciousness rather than swimming in it and being caught up in its currents.

Alongside mindfulness, working with the breath is also a simple but deeply effective tool to assist anxiety, stress, depression and insomnia as well as many other mental and physical conditions.