A girl under the sky

“Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. So relax.” 

– Bryant McGill

Mindfulness is a powerful technique that brings a sense of calm. This calmness can help us to lead a better life amid the peripheral chaos. It gives us strength and steers us to believe in ourselves. How many times we might have tried stopping the irrational thoughts in our heads? How many times we might have faced difficulty focusing on something? All of us have gone through this and some of us who have sought a solution might have come to know about “Mindfulness”. This unique technique helps us focus on the present and many of us have adapted it as a part of our lifestyle to have a better and peaceful life. 

But can you start practising it on your own? Is it really helpful? We will try to answer all these questions today in this blog.

Mindfulness can be defined as a peaceful mental state that can be achieved by focusing on the present moment and by understanding our own thoughts and feelings.

Things for you to know

The history of mindfulness is rooted in Eastern culture. The beginning of this practice can be traced back to the Vedic age and was first adopted by the Buddhists. Mindfulness has now become popular all over the world. This practice of being present at the moment and being self-aware helps reduce anxiety and depression, increases awareness and also helps improve sleep quality!

This concept is based on three key components: Intention, Attention and Attitude.

To cultivate the path of mindfulness, we should be self-aware, should be attentive to the present moment and should pledge to be non-judgemental. It is a mental training regime that helps us come out of negativity. During this practice, the main focus is to concentrate on breathing and be aware of our body and mind. 

Let us explore some ways of practising mindfulness.

How to practise mindfulness

  • Simple breathing practice: Find a comfortable place, sit comfortably and let yourself relax. Once you have found a comfortable place and position, try to feel your connection to that place, relax your body and let go of any tension. Then start focusing on your breathing and feel the sensation of your breaths. Notice how the air enters your body and how you exhale to let it out. If sometimes your mind wanders, that is no issue, just try to get it back and focus again on your breathing.
  • Body scan meditation: You can choose to close your eye closed or keep it open. Bring your awareness to your body and body posture. Notice one by one, how your leg, back, neck, stomach, shoulder and arms feel. When you feel tension in any area of your body, try to let that go and relax. Scan and be aware of your whole body.
  • Walking meditation: Mindfulness can be practised anytime when you are with yourself. The main goal is to be aware of the present. So, you can practise mindfulness even when you are walking. First, pick a quiet place where you can walk slowly without much disturbance. Start the meditation by anchoring your mind to your body. Take a deep breath and start walking. Pay attention to your breathing, feel the different sensations of your body and bring your attention to your body movements. To start with, a session should continue for at least 10 minutes. Then you can increase the timing as you start enjoying this solace.
A girl meditating in a room

What are the benefits of mindfulness?

A study shows, in 2018, around 8 million adults in Britain learned mindfulness practice. This number shows how people have become aware of this ancient practice and trying to make this a part of their daily life. 

Let us dig right into the benefits of mindfulness.

  1. Mindfulness helps you focus and increases your attention span. During the practice session, as we start focusing on our body and mind, it increases our attention to detail.
  2. As it helps us to connect to our bodies and be in the present, we can deal better with stress.
  3. Research has shown that mindfulness helps reduce depression and anxiety and elevates mood
  4. According to an article by American Psychological Association, research has shown improvements in working memory as a benefit of practising mindfulness. Memory capacity increases with time of practising mindfulness meditation.
  5. Mindfulness also helps with reducing negative thoughts and brings mental peace.

We can say that mindfulness positively works towards our overall well-being! So, why not give it a try and dig deeper into the world of mindfulness? It is time to stop the negative thoughts and take your power back. Focusing on yourself is the most amazing thing that you can do for yourself. Have a healthy life and make yourself your priority! 

Amrita Chowdhury

Amrita is an experienced content writer who is passionate about weaving words into stories so that they can reach the audience across all boundaries. She is passionate about reaching and communicating with people worldwide through her content.