Whether or not you happen to practice mindfulness very often, or even if you have never tried it at all, there is no doubt that you have heard about it. You might even be aware of some of its purported benefits. The truth is that mindfulness is an ancient, and very useful, technique for making life more liveable. If you do it right, and you do it regularly, you are going to find that much in life bcome more peaceful and manageable. Let’s take a look at how this might be the case, and what you can expect if you practice mindfulness regularly.
Slowing down
Once you start to pay attention to what is really going on in your mind, you will find that life starts slowing down all by itself. There is something that flips in the brain where everything that you are encountering is just a lot more manageable, you are aware of more of it, and therefore the whole process seems a lot slower for you. That can provide you with some much-needed pause even in the midst of doing something traditionally stressful like getting the local movers in and moving home. By slowing down, life becomes easier and more manageable.
Becoming aware of your processes
Most people are walking around not even knowing that they are lost in thought. When you start to practice mindfulness meditation, a common early experience is that it begins to throw a light on just what the mind gets up to all day long. Frankly, many people can find that terrifying, or at least off-putting, as it can be shocking just how much the mind moves around all day. However, in gradually becoming aware of your processes, you iift out of the game of them more and more, even if they still happen for a while. This makes the psychodrama a lot less able to touch your real core.
Deep relaxation
With good mindfulness practice ultimately comes a deep relaxation. This form of relaxation has nothing to do with the muscles of the body, in fact. It’s more about a relaxation around the way in which you approach life in general. It has something to do with your relationship with all the phenomena in life, rather than a change in any of that phenomena itself. It is very much like releasing your fist and opening up your palm, only to realise that you had forgotten your hand was bunched into a fist in the first place. With enough mindfulness, you can open the fist of your mind, and genuinely relax into your life.
Sowing compassion
One of the most important elements that comes from mindfulness, and yet one that people don’t talk about quite so much, is that it also helps to sow compassion. The more compassion you have for other people, the better quality your life will be, so this is a hugely important concern. With more compassion, you will become more joyful and more peaceful, and everything becomes easier.
