I studied mindfulness, sat an exam and received a certificate. What does that make me? Certainly not a guru, not even a mindfulness practitioner, but someone who can at least break it down so it’s easier to understand.
Mindfulness is described by many as “simple but not easy”. In other words it’s a really easy concept but it’s difficult to master. It takes time, patience and effort like most beneficial things.
It focuses on the senses and is about being rather than doing. We spend so much of our time in our own heads or physically doing all that ‘s necessary to get through the day. Mindfulness is about paying attention to your life, not allowing moments to escape because you’re desperate to get to the “next thing”.
A example of this for me was car journeys. I’d always seen car journeys as a means to an end, something you have to suffer to get somewhere else. It didn’t occur to me until I did my course, that I could enjoy this part too. Just paying attention to the car, it’s smell, the noise, the comfort, maybe music playing, seeing wonderful scenery, enjoying peace (unless I’m not alone that is). For me, mindfulness was thinking about parts of my life in a completely different way.
Another one was spending time with family. I was always thinking about the next bit of cleaning, cooking, sorting, organising, whatever it might be. So on family trips or days out, my head was filled with everything other than what I was doing. Mindfulness taught me to be in the moment, to enjoy each moment and live it for what it is.
How is that done? That’s the difficult part. It really is a new learning experience using patience, no judgement, accepting youself & others and letting go of expectations. There is a lot to it and if you are interested there’s many courses you can go on either face to face or online. It takes a few weeks and then every day for the rest of your life to practice….. but it’s worth it.
Kirsty Ritchie
