What is mindfulness?
Awareness
Mindfulness encourages a heightened sense of awareness. It invites us to notice the subtleties of our experiences, from the sensations in our body to the thoughts in our mind.
Non-judgemental Acceptance
A crucial aspect of mindfulness is accepting things as they are, without attempting to change or judge them. This acceptance allows for a more peaceful relationship with ourselves and our surroundings.
compassionate response
To be compassionate in our actions is to be able cultivate an understanding of our inner and outer landscape. From here, we are able to respond with kindness and compassion to both ourselves and the world around us.
Awareness
Opening the door to experience
opening the door to experience
Awareness is the curious nature that guides us towards a deeper experience of ourselves and the world. When we become curious, we begin to notice the subtleties within the body. These subtleties that come forward express themselves as sensations, thoughts and emotions and although we may experience these throughout our days, they generally run free reign in the background, running the show and directing our decisions and actions without a second thought. When we allow our curiosity to investigate the nature of the body, we are allowing ourselves to become aware of what is taking place in the background of our lives. Awareness in mindfulness is intentional. It’s a conscious, curious nature, directing our attention to the present moment. It involves both internal and external experiences. Internally, we pay attention to our bodily sensations, emotions and thoughts. Externally, we can observe our surroundings such as sights, sounds and smells. Awareness is our direct experience of the here and now. We are not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. By being in the present moment, we can cultivate a sense of clarity and presence.
non-judgemental acceptance
Allowing things to be as they are
allowing things to be as they are
Non-judgemental acceptance is rooted in compassion. There’s an approach of kindness and understanding towards our experiences of ourselves and the world. It’s the practice of observing our experiences without allowing ourselves to become caught up in the tendency to judge or criticise. We observe without evaluation…No good, bad, right or wrong. It’s about acknowledging and allowing whatever arises in the present moment to be just as it is, without trying to change it or becoming reactive to it. If we can let go of preferences and expectations of how we believe things should be and embracing reality as it is, not by resigning ourselves to undesirable circumstances, but by acknowledging them without denial or aversion, this kind of acceptance allows us to experience a sense of peace and empowerment during times of difficult challenges and by cultivating this non-judgemental acceptance, we develop the capacity to respond skilfully and intentionally, embracing the present moment with an open heart and mind.
compassionate response
A compassionate stance towards whatever arises
a compassionate stance towards whatever arises
How we respond to life’s challenges has a lot to do with our inner landscape and how we perceive the world. Developing an awareness and non-judgemental acceptance towards our experiences will ground us in being able to respond compassionately to our triggers and upsets. A compassionate response begins with self-compassion and being able to recognise our own suffering and imperfections with a non-judgmental kindness. That kindness, we can then extend to others. Cultivating a practice of forgiveness, towards both ourselves and others, and choosing kindness, love and understanding, we can acknowledge the shared humanity of all beings. With this, we can carry our feelings of compassion into mindful action and respond skillfully, from a place of presence, love and understanding.