Four
Foundations of Mindfulness:
Many people ask me about Mindfulness- exactly what does
it mean? Mindfulness is about being in
the present moment. Not thinking about the past or the future; it is about
being fully focused on the NOW moment.
When you are mindful, you are focused
and aware. This means that when you are driving to work,
or eating a meal- you are fully engaged and aware of what you are doing, what
you are feeling, and what you are thinking.
Not easy in our society- but a Mindfulness practice can help relieve
stress and will help to uncover the sense of calmness and peace that is already
within you. As you begin to be more
Mindful in your daily living; be sure to be very compassionate with yourself. Notice too, your desire to numb out or turn
away unpleasant thoughts. It is by
accepting that unpleasant thoughts are there; that will help to dissipate them.
Here are some ideas to help you get started. **********************************************************************************************
Mindful
Mind- Thinking about what you are thinking about. It is about
your level of awareness and how present you are in this moment. Are you
floating through the days, in a state of semi-consciousness? When you are fully engaged in the activity
you are doing- whether washing dishes, cooking or eating dinner, working on a
project, or driving to work-be fully present with whatever you are doing at the
moment.
Make
sure your awareness is in the NOW moment.
Mindful
Body- This is about paying attention to the signals that the
body gives us at all times. Are you hungry, thirsty, exhausted, achy, or
feeling great and energized? Is the body tense or relaxed- and how do you heed
the signals?
How
is your body speaking to you in this moment?
Mindful
Feelings/emotions- What is present for you right now? We run
the gamut of many emotions during the course of the day. Understand that you
are not your emotions. Say “I feel sad” rather than “I am sad.” That helps you to distinguish the fluid
nature of the emotions. How in touch
with your emotions are you? Awareness of
what you are feeling: whether it is joyful, or sad or anything in between;
simply by being aware of how you are feeling is the key to mindfulness. Know
that “this too shall pass.”
Identify
and observe existing emotions without judging yourself.
Mindful
Thoughts- How often do you criticize yourself? What does your self-talk sound like? When we are aware of how we judge thoughts as
‘good’ or ‘bad’; or tell ourselves we ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t,’ we can flow more
easily with the current of life.
How
can you be more compassionate with yourself?
catherine epstein november 2013
www.jewelsofthelotus.com
