By Paul Abraham of www.headingonwards.com
Over recent years there has been a huge surge of interest in Mindfulness. Unfortunately there is a lot of mis-information and charlatans out there, so here is a brief description of how I teach Mindfulness and how it can be used in these stressful times.
Firstly: what is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is basically concentrating all your thoughts on one particular project, this could be, having a drink, eating a sandwich or going for a walk. Anyone can do it and it can be done at anytime, anywhere.
What isn’t Mindfulness?
It isn’t, a religion, a form of relaxation, a meditation practice, about emptying your mind or Buddhism
What does it do?
While practicing it, your blood sugar levels are reduced which results in the reduction of stress levels. As you concentrate on one single thing, all the stress and anxiety you may be feeling are forgotten, this could be only for a few seconds, but the benefits will be there to feel and experience.
So how do put it into practice?
Someone has bought you a Tuna salad sandwich for you lunch, this is how you would eat and experience it using Mindfulness;
- Firstly turn your Television, PC, Laptop, Tablet or phone off, to have no distractions
- Feel the packaging of your sandwich
- Is it a card board triangular pack or the thin plastic see-through bag type?
- Grip the packaging, is it smooth or coarse
- How much resistance is there when you try and open the packet?
- You feel the sandwich for the first time
- Is it smooth cut bread or a crusty baguette?
- As you bring it to your mouth
- Can you start to smell the Tuna and its fellow contents?
- As it touches your mouth what does it feel like is it rough or smooth to the lips
- When you take the first bite feel the textures as you chew
- Taste the tuna and the salad, experience each flavour
- Is the lettuce crunchy, peppery or limp?
- How sweet is the tomato, what does the dressing taste like
- As you swallow again saviour the taste and feel of the various ingredients
- Take your time with each bite until the sandwich is finished.
Now you’ve experienced the enjoyment of mindfulness eating you can practice in other normal day to day activities such as making a cup of tea or taking a shower.
Is this another American thing. Like the very strange franchised, “Keep” training or “Nurtured Heart”? I’ve completed many training days on several different subjects. I’ve attended this type of training before, sometimes for days (paid for by a Local Authority). I learned with others how it’s possible to treat adults as children, especially if the training is compulsory as it was for me.