About Mindfulness

Mindfulness is:

A way of being alive and knowing it

Underpinned by compassion, kindness, curiosity, trust, gratitude, appreciation, awe and wonder

At its most basic level mindfulness is about paying attention so we are more aware of what’s actually happening now, rather than worrying about what has happened or what might happen.

We learn activities and practices which help us bring greater curiosity to whatever it is we’re experiencing.

Practising mindfulness can help settle our minds and bodies and strengthen our resilience when things are tough but it can do much more than that.  It can:

  • support our human need for connection and belonging,
  • enable us to flourish and enhance our lives with kindness, compassion and gratitude, and
  • empower us to make better decisions and enhance our lives.

Photo Credit: William John Evans

Mindfulness is not…

Mindfulness is not about clearing our minds of thoughts, but more about the relationship we have with our minds and bodies and the awareness this gives us to live our lives more fully in good times and when things get tough.

Mindfulness is not just about meditation although mindfulness meditation is part of what we do.  It’s about how we live our lives, moment to moment, day to day, and as Jon Kabat-Zinn says being alive and knowing it.

Things mindfulness is not:

  • A breathing exercise
  • A relaxation technique
  • A quick-fix or a cure for everything
  • Something you ask anybody to teach
  • Something you can pick up off a shelf
  • Something you need to do ln any specific position

The mindfulness we teach is entirely secular but since most religions have a contemplative tradition, it is compatible with religious beliefs and spirituality.

Photo Credit: Annette Thomas

Mindfulness can have lots of benefits

Research shows that mindfulness courses like this one have many benefits, including:

  • Reduced feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression
  • Improved ability to cope with pain and illness
  • Less worrying and obsessing over things
  • Greater appreciation of what is pleasant and enjoyable in life
  • Feeling clearer about what is truly meaningful, and living life with a stronger sense of purpose
  • Improved overall wellbeing, even in difficult times
  • Increased empathy and concern for others and the wider environment

Oxford Mindfulness Foundation

You can find much more about the research into mindfulness here.   

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