Mindfulness – Is it for me?

The aim of our #isitforme campaign is to provide you with relatable, easily digestible information about mindfulness to help dispel any myths and answer some of the most commonly asked questions.

Welcome to Day 1 of our #isitforme campaign!
One of the commonly asked questions we get is ‘where should I start?’
The guidance we give is to start where you are, ‘start small’ and ease your way into it without striving for a specific outcome.
By stopping to take a ‘PURPOSEFUL PAUSE’ 3 times a day to interrupt the automatic nature of your mind, transition from ‘doing’ into ‘being’ and take 3 conscious breaths you’ve started your journey into mindfulness.
The practice has much more depth than that but if you start here and get curious about what you notice, slowing things down to allow yourself to speed back up you can move forward in your day with a new level of awareness.
This short practice is accessible for most people but if the breath doesn’t feel safe or comfortable for you to focus on, we can provide some other options for you.
Welcome to Day 2 of our #isitforme campaign!
Another topic I think about a lot is how can mindfulness help our communities and help to address some of our wider societal challenges.
From a self awareness and sustainable health and wellbeing perspective, it’s one of the most important practices for human beings to learn; Healthy, happy people can contribute more fully in their homes, businesses and communities.
But perhaps beyond this, mindfulness helps us to develop a better relationship with ourselves and those around us.
If we can relate to ourselves better, with compassion, then we develop the capacity to extend that to others. This builds connection, trust and mutual space for growth in relationships, helping homes and communities to flourish.
Mindfulness empowers us to take responsibility for our lives and the actions we take in every moment, because we’re awake, more conscious of what we’re doing and more intentional to lead with integrity. This is essential for us to take better care of the planet and those around us.
If we can create mindful, self empowered communities, we can take decisions in the best interests of the majority (and the planet), gradually reduce dependency on centralised power and over time, this is how we can take our power back.
Welcome to Day 3 of our #isitforme campaign!
Can a regular mindfulness practice create physical benefits?
The answer is yes.
The vast majority of DIS EASE in the body comes from
UN EASINESS in the mind. Essentially the root cause of most illness and physical ailments are related to mental and emotional processes.
By learning to take back control of your mind and understanding how to skilfully manage your emotions, you can enhance your physical health and create the conditions for healing to occur.
 

Welcome to Day 4 of our #isitforme campaign!
Do you find it uncomfortable to focus on your breath when you’ve been invited to do that during a guided meditation?
You find that your breath speeds up and becomes anxious?
Or maybe its something you’re generally aware of and not something you’ve experienced when trying meditation!
In this video, I explain why this can happen and also share some guidance to help you feel more optimistic about overcoming this difficulty, so you can feel more comfortable resting your attention with the breath.
In addition to the advice given, consciously releasing tightness and tension from your stomach area can help your body to breathe better with more freedom.
Welcome to Day 5 of our #isitforme campaign!
One of the commonly asked questions we get is “how long does it take before I can start to see some benefits from mindfulness?”
This depends on various factors, including; the individual, the environment you’re learning mindfulness in and how consistent you are with your personal practice.
One of the best ways to learn about mindfulness and develop your own personal practice is to sign up for an 8-week mindfulness course. During that journey, you will learn about all the foundational principles of mindfulness, a deeper understanding about the mind and its tendencies and how to engage in practice.  For more information on our 8 week courses click here: https://www.themindfulenterprise.org/courses-and-retreats/
Welcome to Day 6 of our #isitforme campaign!
Today’s video provides an answer to the question; What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness as a practice is often misunderstood and it’s only through direct experience that we truly understand and appreciate what it means and how it can influence our lives and the lives of others.
In my own personal experience, I credit mindfulness for awakening me to a higher version of myself, which has been the catalyst for creating deeper connection in my relationships.
Mindfulness also helped me to understand how disconnected / dissociated I was from my body, where I found it difficult to feel positive emotion. Feeling unpleasant or negative emotion came easier. Scientific evidence tells us that disconnection from the body and the patterns of internal signals makes it harder to self regulate our emotions and often leads to mental health issues
Gradually over time, I’ve managed to re-establish my connection with the body and mindfulness practice has undoubtedly played an important role in that.
Welcome to Day 7 of our #isitforme campaign!
What does it mean to live a mindful life?
I’ve previously referred to mindfulness as a radical act of self love but it has many layers to it.
Living a mindful life is not only a commitment to ourselves but to others. An acknowledgement of our interconnectedness.
It’s a new way of being, the way of awareness, not governed by the habit patterns of ego, which takes courage.
Living a mindful life means taking responsibility for our actions and behaviours with a desire to choose a skilful response that allows us and others to flourish.
By living in the present moment more often, we can enjoy the simple pleasurable experiences of life, which can often pass us by when our lives are busy, stressful and spent living in our heads.
Welcome to Day 8 of our #isitforme campaign!
Today’s video provides an insight into some different ways we can practice mindfulness.
One of the most commonly understood ways is to pay attention to the breath, which is one of the main supports available to us, to bring the mind present and out of the thinking mind. When we notice the mind wandering, we gently guide it back to the breath (then repeat).
This process of losing awareness into thinking, noticing, then directing our attention back to the breath is how we train our minds and strengthen our mindful muscle of attention better focus and concentration.
We don’t have to be sat in a meditation posture to practice Mindfulness, we can be mindful in everyday life situations, we just need to lead with the intention to be mindful and check ourselves (in a kind way) when we stray from our intention. Over time, the more present we become, the less time we spend getting involved in the incessant chatter of the mind and that’s very good for our health, inner peace, performance and personal growth.
Welcome to Day 9 of our #isitforme campaign!
Day 9 video is particularly relevant for anyone out there with a busy mind or anyone that is an over thinker and finds it difficult to relax.
If this is you, don’t be despondent, this doesn’t have to be your experience of the mind forever.
Welcome to Day 10 of our #isitforme campaign!
Today’s short video gives a brief explanation of a mindfulness based priming ritual I partake in on a regular basis, as a way of bringing my mind into the present moment, calming any stress / nerves / over thinking and setting intentions.
This ritual hasn’t failed me and serves as a reminder of the power of intention to create conscious outcomes.
Through repetition, it has also programmed into my brain a self regulation technique where I use my breath to activate my relaxation response, which calms my body and settles my mind within a few seconds.
Do you regularly align your mind and set intentions or is this a new concept for you?

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