Mindfulness is learning how to be fully present in the moment, while being aware of your thoughts and feelings without distraction or judgment.
Science is conducting extensive research on mindful meditation, and researchers have found unlimited benefits of mindfulness on our physical health, emotional well-being, and performance.
There are enormous benefits of mindfulness. The sooner we start, the better our chance of having a healthy life – Manish Behl
“Our mind wanders all the time, either reviewing the past or planning for the future,”
“Mindfulness teaches you the skill of paying attention to the present by noticing when your mind wanders off. Come back to your breath. It’s a place where we can rest and settle our minds.”
What is Mindfulness?
In words of Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn “Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens”
Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.
Mindfulness is observing your life as it is happening, accepting your current situation without judgement or struggle, allowing feelings to exist without letting them drive your actions, noticing thoughts as they arise wihtout the need to buy into them, taking actions based on what you feel in your heart rather than old habits or short term convenience.”
In short, you can realize greater health and happiness
Neuroscience Behind Mindfulness?
Neuroscientists have confirmed that mindfulness as a part of workplace training has extraordinary benefits for both individuals and organisations. Mindfulness practice enhances attention. The anterior cingulate cortex is the region associated with attention in which changes in activity and/or structure in response to mindfulness meditation are most consistently reported.
Scientists have found that Mindfulness helps to
Manage stress:
Research confirms that practicing mindfulness reduces stress reactivity, increases focus and concentration. This gives us more clarity and a better perspective on our problems, so we can take better decisions.
Working under pressure
Contemporary workspaces demand that we be able to perform under pressure. Mindfulness helps us become more skilled at staying present, alert and calm under pressure.
Creativity and innovation:
Mindfulness practices are shown to make people more innovative as they observe without judgement. This allows the mind to less rigid, more flexible, and hence, solve problems quickly and more easily.
What are Mindfulness Meditation Practices?
There are many Meditation practices in Mindfulness
- Focus on your breathing. When you have negative thoughts, try to sit down, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your body. Sitting and breathing for even just a minute can help.
- Live in the moment. Try to intentionally bring an open, accepting and discerning attention to everything you do. Find joy in simple pleasures.
- Body scan meditation. Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing up. Focus your attention slowly and deliberately on each part of your body, in order, from toe to head or head to toe. Be aware of any sensations, emotions or thoughts associated with each part of your body.
- Sitting meditation. Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet flat on the floor and hands in your lap. Breathing through your nose, focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. If physical sensations or thoughts interrupt your meditation, note the experience and then return your focus to your breath.
It has been established that with regular practice, mindfulness helps one deal with unwanted stress, protects from unnecessary anxiety, increases mental and physical resistance and boosts one’s general mood, helping one to be happy. Organisations like the Mindful Science Centre are doing extensive research and cultivating shorter micro practices to help people and organisations incorporate these practices easily in daily life.
Benefits of Mindfulness Practice
- Change your relationship to stress, anxiety, anger, fear, sadness, other difficult emotions
- Be less reactive and more responsive–allowing “space” for conscious, creative choices
- See more clearly – with fewer perceptual filers and biases, less conditioning
- Realize a deep relaxed awareness of mind and body
- Develop peacefulness, a reservoir of peace or calm energy
- Gain insights – identifying skillful and unskillful patterns of behavior, speech, etc.,
- Know yourself more deeply, fully; be more open to your inner wisdom
- Be more compassionate with self and others
Mindfulness meditation practice includes both formal sitting practice as well as being present throughout the day. You mindfully attend to whatever activity you are engaged in, moment by moment. Whether it is eating, washing the dishes, or playing sports or a game, you can bring mindfulness to that activity. Notice how you feel, engage all of your senses, watch your thoughts as they arise. In this way, you are bringing your whole self to whatever you are doing.
The Mindfulness India Summit, an annual summit held in Mumbai, showcases such practices through multiple workshops for participants to experience and take back. Mindfulness is known to reduce cardiovascular and mental diseases. On the performance front, it helps boost decision-making skills and strengthens self-confidence.
Asia’s Biggest Mindfulness held annually in Mumbai where world thinkers, neuroscientists, global leaders and practitioners of contemporary mindfulness and emotional intelligence come together in one of a kind annual summit to unravel practices of mindfulness and EQ in a set of carefully curated panel discussions, keynote sessions and breakout sessions. Last year, for the first time ever, at Mindfulness India Summit 2018, more than 200 participants with 30 speakers came together for 2 days of dialogue and workshop on role of Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence backed by Neuroscience. Building a “Tribe” full of wisdom, compassion and empathy, the summit created an ecosystem of sharing knowledge, creativity, innovation and tools for creating a Mindful Leaders and Community.
