Mindfulness is a technique or concept that translated from English means full attention although its origin comes from Buddhism. Enter and discover what it is about and how it can help you.
The word Mindfulness It means consciously paying attention to the experience of the now with acceptance and interest. Mindfulness is a technique or concept that translated from English is full attention, but in reality its origin comes from Buddhism and in Sanskrit its meaning would not be exactly a word, but rather it would be more related to a way in which we relate to what happens. In our life.
The benefits of practicing mindfulness They are multiple, both for our mental and physical health. In this sense, although it is not a relaxation technique, it helps us feel more relaxed. If you want to better understand how this tool works and how you can apply it in your daily life, keep reading this article to find out.
Nowadays there are many concepts or techniques that come from this word, many have perhaps expanded or added other aspects, however, Mindfulness could be understood in many ways. Since it was brought to the West by various practitioners and teachers such as Jon Kabat Zinn who was responsible for introducing the full attention in conventional medicine.
Mindfulness was never a technique per se, for Buddhists it is a way of being and not so much something to achieve, however in a more consumerist context like ours, many trainings based on Mindfulness have been created, selling the idea of full attention like something that brings you to a state of permanent calm, something to achieve.
It is interesting to investigate and read the different concepts that exist, according to different authors, for example the Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said that mindfulness was a way of being present with everything, in everything, being aware of what an activity implies: “In order to fully enjoy what life gives us, it is necessary that we practice full consciousness in every moment. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. In the shower, during breakfast or on the way to work. Every moment, every step, every breath, can be a way to find joy“.
What should we take into account to enhance the practice of mindfulness?
The way we use today mindfulness It has evolved and changed a lot. In recent years I myself have learned to see this concept in a different way compared to the idea I had when I started studying it.
Here are some points to keep in mind if you are interested in better understanding this incredible tool or philosophy of life:
To meditate It is not always the same as mindfulness. Although they are related, the full attention It is only a small part of many mental states.
Mindfulness is not achieving something or being a certain way.
You are not better or worse for practicing it, it can help you, but it doesn’t have to be for everyone. There are other similar techniques that can also be beneficial for you.
Being present is important to train the mind, to be able to focus and pay attention; This does not mean that one can be in the present all the time, it is impossible, the mind also wanders and imagines.
The nature of our mind is to jump from thought to thought, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong or that we have a problem.
What is intended with the Mindfulness It is having a greater awareness of this mental activity, thus avoiding getting carried away without realizing where we are going. It is easy to get distracted in a world full of stimuli, notifications, messages, what we are doing is excessively reinforcing these distractions, making it very difficult to stop.
I see many people who come to consultation not necessarily for Mindfulness, some consider that it makes no sense to sit still without doing anything, it is understandable, since we come from a quite productive and sometimes very automatic culture, where people get carried away very easily by the accelerated pace. I am not against production, it is part of life and our system as well, however, it is also important to learn to stop within the chaos, since without this you may find yourself moving forward without knowing why or why you are doing it. .
It is not easy to stop, much more so when we have so much time without doing it. The idea of full attention, as I see it, is being present in everything, this means that we are only present when we are calm and feel good, but that we are also present when we do not feel relaxed. The key is to be able to observe what is happening on an emotional, mental, physical and spiritual level, to be more curious with our own nature without judging, without necessarily seeking to eliminate discomfort or seek enlightenment, but rather acceptance.
