Mindfulness

            “Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.

                                                                   Thich’ Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness stems from Buddhism and is defined as a state of active, open attention to the present moment. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance like a fly on the wall, without judging them as good or bad and without attachment. Instead of letting life pass you by in a blur of ‘doing’ activity, mindfulness strives for living in the moment and awakening to the experience of now through simply ‘being’.

Meditation, Yoga and other Techniques

Of course most of us relate to ‘the now’ with freeing our thoughts through various ‘being’ type activities like meditation, qigong or yoga. And while useful for some, these practices are simply tools that hopefully gain us an experience of temporary immersion in mindfulness.

The real question is, once a ‘now’ experience has come into our being, how do we duplicate it? And beyond that, how do we find it in real life as we are bombarded with outside stimuli, as opposed to only while meditating or practicing yoga? If mindfulness is experienced, then how do we spend more and more time in the now, or in a state of being rather than doing?

The Breath of Life and a Childs Perspective

In order to bring the spirit of now, or the present moment into our everyday existence, let’s steal a commonality from yoga, pain management and meditating. What is that common thread, you ask? The breath, breathing in a natural, concentrated deeper pattern and connecting with the life blood of our existence. All Eastern traditions teach the importance of the breath, and we as Westerners ‘poo poo’ the idea as ludicrous, in that for us breathing is considered a non-voluntary necessity.

It’s not that the Eastern traditions intend to harp on the obvious, but instead try to deepen our understanding of the de-stressing, anti-anxiety peace present in the proper flow and connection with our breath.

To better understand, here are a few quotes on breath from the experts, the first from Thich’ Nhat Hanh, the second from Brenda Shoshanna:

         “Breath is the bridge which connects life to your consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”

         “We simply return to kindergarten to remember how to sit, breathe, eat, play and re-claim the excitement, joy and adventurous spirits we lost along the way.”

Ahhh, so the second ‘being’ idea, besides connecting with our breath, is to become childlike as the last quote alludes to. We come in to this world curious, joyful and open minded, and then the world beats us down. A return to that innocent, inquisitive spirit will serve us well in our pursuit of tranquility in the face of the storm.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

The degree to which we can experience mindfulness, the now, or the present moment in our everyday life will lead directly to our quality of life quotient. We can start with finding moments of peace in activities like yoga and meditation and in breathing consciously, and once this feeling is felt and understood, we must gently strive to extend it into as many moments of our waking life as possible.

PS: Ever had an experience of this nirvana? Athletes call it being “in the flow” and on the rare occurrence, usually turn in spectacular performances.