What is Mindfulness?

Good morning, everyone! I hope you all had a brilliantly relaxing weekend :) 

Last Sunday I wrote about relaxing detox baths but today I want to write about a new thing I've tried called Mindfulness. I've heard this word being thrown around and increasing in popularity for quite a while now but only recently researched into what it is. 

 

Cover Photo by Peter Hapak for Time Magazine

Mindfulness is a 'way of paying attention to the present moment.' It uses a combination of yoga, meditation and breathing techniques, it helps us to become more aware of what is around us and how we are feeling at that exact moment in time to help us manage them better rather than becoming overwhelmed. 

By practising Mindfulness, people can focus more on their emotions, increase their attention span  . and has use it to help aid stress, anxiety, depression and addictive behaviours, making you happier and more peaceful. One is able to practise Mindfulness wherever and whenever they want or need too, whether it be at work, home, outside or inside.

Their are various courses to help you learn mindfulness however I have done a little research and the three main steps are these: 

1. Focus on your breath. Inhale and exhale deeply and slowly.
2. Whenever any thoughts, emotions, sounds or physical feelings occur; completely accept them, letting them come and go without any further thought on them. 
3. If your attention drifts off and focuses on any of these feelings, just bring it back to focusing on your breathing.

I've tried this out for a few days now and am really feeling a lot happier and chilled out (yay!)

There are more in depth courses online or in person that you are able to undertake that cover all sorts of techniques and reasonings for Mindfulness so you are able to practise it whenever you want to with ease. 

Visit http://www.bemindfulonline.com/ for more information 

Buddha Pendant

This gorgeous, hand made, Buddha pendant is made from sterling silver and has seven semiprecious chakra stones beautifully placed along the centre of the Buddha silhouette. The stones have been hand chosen for depth and clarity, hopefully bringing it to your meditations as well. 

The stones are garnet, carnelian, citrine, peridot, amethyst, iolite and moonstone.

This pendant is avaliable in two sizes. 7cm for £52 and 5cm for £45. Both avaliable from spiritualquest.co.uk

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is often thought of as a religion, however others consider it a way of life, because unlike, for example, Judaism, Hinduism or Islamic religions, Buddhism doesn't have a God. It isn't centered on a relationship between God and humans. 

Buddhism itself has been around for hundreds of years. It was 'founded' by Siddhartha Gautama. Nowadays, the head 'Buddhist' (if you want to call it that) is the 'Dalai Lama'. The 'Dalai Lama' is the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism.

The 14th Dalai Lama

Siddhartha Gautama was born in around 566 BC, he was born as the Prince of the Sakya tribe in Nepal. However, when he was 29 years old, he decided to leave his life of riches and comfort to seek the meaning of the suffering he saw around him. After six years of this, he sat under a bodhi tree and entered a mindful meditation. He then became 'Buddha' and travelled around India for 45 years, spreading his knowledge and teaching others the path for Enlightenment. 

 

Buddha under the Bodhi tree

To this day, people have practiced the way of the Buddha as a way of life. Of a way to find peace and enlightenment into the true nature of life. Buddhism is studied as a way to personal spiritual development alongside this, they believe in showing love and compassion to everybody possible. Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed, nothing is permanent and change is always possible and of course, Karma.

Buddhists who are on the path to Enlightenment use varying practices such as meditation, development of morality and wisdom. 

Buddha statue in Japan

How do I meditate?

The Summer holiday's are almost half way through, August is getting underway and the days are (thankfully) getting warmer and sunnier. I'm very tempted to pick up the computer and move outside.

For those of you who have kids and work and are running around everywhere, it can get very stressful, for everyone involved. Use this beautiful weather to send your kids to the grandparents for a day, take some time of work and have a little bit of 'me' time. It may sound cheeky but everyone deserves a little relaxation once in a while. Meditation is a great way to do this. If you don't have the time to take a whole day out, putting aside an hour is enough time to meditate. 

Meditation is a way of gaining a sense of deep relaxation. Whilst you meditate, you withdraw from your thoughts and focus on a single thing; your breath. Benefits of meditation include a more stress-free life, better sleep, a calmer mind and improved emotional balance. Meditation is a brilliant way for absolutely anybody to destress and create a deep feeling of wellbeing and happiness. 

I've found this handy list on 'how to meditate' on wakeupcloud.com

1. Eliminate Distractions. The first thing you want to do is make sure that no one is going to bother you. I’m not going to go into specific strategies, because if you’re serious about improving your life, you will have no trouble finding ways to get a few minutes of silence. Remember, even 5 minutes of meditation is beneficial.

2. Determine Time. I like to determine how long I will meditate before I begin, otherwise it’s easy to give up when it gets tough. I recommend you start with something small. Anything between 5-15 minutes is okay.

3. Relax. Stretching before you start will help you relax and be more comfortable while you are meditating. Your body will object to meditation – at least mine does, because I do not like to sit still – so the more you relax, the smoother everything will go.

4. Get Comfortable. Once you’ve relaxed your body, it’s time to find a place for you to sit or lie down. You do not have to be in a full lotus position. You can sit in whatever way you want, just make sure your spine is straight and you are comfortable. It’s not rocket-science .

5. Focus. Your mind will want to make this more complicated than it is, so be prepared for that. Once you’ve settled in, pick one thing to focus on, such as your breath, your muscles or even a candle. It doesn’t really matter what it is. Focusing on one thing is easy and an excellent place to start. I personally like to focus on my breath.

You can also find meditation CD's which guide you through scripted meditations. These can be bought from Quest, each meditation CD is aimed at a specific problem. There are even sweet little meditations for children using fairytale elements such as wizards, witches, fairies and mermaids.