Learning about Mindfulness

What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present
moment, and nonjudgmentally (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4).

Mindfulness is both a meditation practice and a way of being and perceiving.

Mindfulness is the attending itself, rather than the doing; attending to and
noticing what is occurring in the present moment through the five senses of
listening, seeing, smelling, tasting and feeling.

Mindfulness is the noticing of present moment experience as a remedy to our

usual automatic pilot mode of doing and living.

Mindfulness includes both formal and informal practices; while a daily

meditation practice is encouraged, you can bring awareness to any activity,
anywhere, anytime - such as walking, washing the dishes, or brushing your teeth.

Mindfulness is holding whatever is present in the moment with kindness and

compassion.

Mindfulness can be challenging, but it is not complicated.

The process of mindfulness is about cultivating awareness, not just about

achieving a state of relaxation.

Williams and Penman (2011) describe Mindfulness in the following way:

Mindfulness is a very simple form of meditation that was little known in the West
until recently. A typical meditation consists of focusing your full attention on your breath as
it flows in and out of your body. Focusing on each breath in this way allows you to observe
your thoughts as they arise in your mind and, little by little, to let go of struggling with them.
You come to realise that thoughts come and go of their own accord; that you are not your
thoughts. You can watch as they appear in your mind, seemingly from thin air, and watch
again as they disappear, like a soap bubble bursting. You come to the profound
understanding that thoughts and feelings (including negative ones) are transient. They come
and they go, and ultimately, you have a choice about whether to act on them or not.
Mindfulness is about observation without criticism; being compassionate with
yourself. When unhappiness or stress hover overhead, rather than taking it all personally,
you learn to treat them as if they were black clouds in the sky, and to observe them with
friendly curiosity as they drift past. In essence, mindfulness allows you to catch negative
thought patterns before they tip you into a downward spiral. It begins the process of putting
you back in control of your life.

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Over time, mindfulness brings about long-term changes in mood and levels of
happiness and wellbeing. Scientific studies have shown that mindfulness not only prevents
depression, but that it also positively affects the brain patterns underlying day-to-day
anxiety, stress, depression and irritability so that when they arise, they dissolve away again
more easily. Other studies have shown that regular meditators see their doctors less often
and spend fewer days in hospital. Memory improves, creativity increases and reaction times
become faster.
Despite these proven benefits, however, many people are still a little wary when they
hear the word meditation. So before we proceed, it might be helpful to dispel some myths:
Meditation is not a religion. Mindfulness is simply a method of mental training. Many
people who practise meditation are themselves religious, but then again, many atheists and
agnostics are keen meditators too.
You dont have to sit cross-legged on the floor (like the pictures you may have seen in
magazines or on TV), but you can if you want to. Most people who come to our classes sit on
chairs to meditate, but you can also practise bringing mindful awareness to whatever you
are doing, on buses, trains or while walking to work. You can meditate more or less
anywhere.
Mindfulness practice does not take a lot of time, although some patience and persistence
are required. Many people soon find that meditation liberates them from the pressures of
time, so they have more of it to spend on other things.
Meditation is not complicated. Nor is it about success or failure. Even when meditation
feels difficult, youll have learned something valuable about the workings of the mind and
thus have benefited psychologically.
It will not deaden your mind or prevent you from striving towards important career or
lifestyle goals; nor will it trick you into falsely adopting a Pollyanna attitude to life.
Meditation is not about accepting the unacceptable. It is about seeing the world with greater
clarity so that you can take wiser and more considered action to change those things which
need to be changed. Meditation helps cultivate a deep and compassionate awareness that
allows you to assess your goals and find the optimum path towards realising your deepest
values.

Retrieved from: What is Mindfulness? at http://franticworld.com/what-is-mindfulness/

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Helpful Resources to Start With when Learning about Mindfulness

Websites on Mindfulness:
1. Headspace: www.getsomeheadspace.com
2. Mindfulness-Finding Peace in a Frantic World: http://franticworld.com
3. Mindful website: www.mindful.org
4. The Mindfulness Institute: www.mindfulnessinstitute.ca
5. Mindfulness Exercises: www.mindfulnessexercises.com
6. Smiling Mind: http://www.smilingmind.com.au
7. Happify: www.happify.com/hd/skeptics-guide-to-meditation-infographic-dan-harris/
8. Greater Good: www.greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
9. Mind and Life Institute: www.mindandlife.org
10. Self-Compassion: http://self-compassion.org/
Videos on Mindfulness:
1. https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqoxYKtEWEc
3. http://www.mindful.org/category/video/
4. http://my.happify.com/hd/how-mindfulness-empowers-us-sharon-salzberg/
5. http://my.happify.com/hd/why-mindfulness-is-a-superpower-animation/
Books on Mindfulness:
1. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go there you are. New York, NY: Hyperion.
2. Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and
mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Guildford, UK: Delta.
3. Williams, M. & Penman, D. (2011). Mindfulness: An eight-week plan for finding peace
in a frantic world. New York, NY: Rodale.

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Practicing Mindfulness
Tips for Practicing Mindfulness:
1.

Pay attention to your breath as it flows in and out; notice where you feel it most
strongly in your body (e.g., your nostrils, your stomach, your chest).

2.

Observe and notice what you see and hear around you (e.g., colours, sounds,
movements, light).

3.

Feel the physical sensations in your body (e.g., notice the way your body rests in the
chair, or the way your feet rest on the ground).

4.

Be gentle with yourself and hold your experience with kindness. When tough stuff
comes up, simply say to yourself: whatever it is that I am feeling, it is okay, let me feel
it. If thoughts or daydreams arise while trying to pay attention to your physical
experience, simply notice them and how they are affecting your body. Then, without
judging yourself in any way, bring your attention back to where you intended it to be.

Free Downloadable Meditations:

1.

Finding Peace in a Frantic World: http://franticworld.com/free-meditations-frommindfulness/

2.

Mrs. Mindfulness: http://mrsmindfulness.com/

3.

Mindfulness Solution: www.mindfulness-solution.com

4.

UCLA: http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

5.

Koru Mindfulness: www.korumindfulness.org/guided-meditations

Meditation in our Community:

1.

Present Moment Human Development Services: www.presentmoment.ca

2. Calgary Insight Meditation Society: www.calgaryims.org/

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Clinical Applications
1.

Compassion Focused Therapy: www.compassionfocusedtherapy.com

2.

Befriending Ourselves Resource Page: www.befriendingourselves.com

3.

Compassion Power (for anger management): www.compassionpower.com

4.

Social Anxiety and Mindfulness: www.shyness.com

5.

Mindfulness and Recovery from Child Abuse: www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness

6.

Addictive Behaviors Research Center: depts.washington.edu/abrc/meditation.htm

7.

Center for Mindful Eating: www.tcme.org

8.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: www.contextualpsychology.org/act

9.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy: http://blogs.uw.edu/brtc/

10. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: http://mbct.com/

March 2016