The
practice of mindfulness is the repetitive act of directing your awareness to
only one thing in the moment without judgement – this can be a focus on the
breath as in traditional mindfulness practices, but it can also be an awareness
and concentration on any given task from washing the dishes to tidying the
house. It is all about concentrating on what you are doing – if washing the
dishes, notice the feel of the bubbles, the smell of the soap, the sound of the
water running. Bring your awareness to where you are in the moment, paying
attention to what you are doing. If your mind wanders from the breath or from
the object of your concentration, gently bring your awareness back to the
breath or to the task in hand. The mind is like an untrained puppy. At first,
you’ll find it wandering away, rummaging in boxes, chewing the furniture, and jumping
on the sofa. But with training and practice, it is possible to quiet the mind
and focus on the present moment. When you find your mind has wandered, bring
your awareness back to breath, back to body, back to the sounds, sensations,
and smells in the room. It takes time and patience to retrain your brain, just
like it takes time and patience to train a puppy.
Mindfulness
can be readily incorporated into your daily routine – you can mindfully brush
your teeth, eat your breakfast, brush your hair, or wash in the shower. Notice
how your body feels during these activities – use the senses of taste, touch,
smell, sight, and sound. When you are in the shower, notice the smell of the
shampoo, the sounds of the water running, the sensation of the water falling
against your skin. Become aware of the shower – bring your attention fully to
the task at hand. Notice the breath – the rising and falling sensation of the chest,
the feeling of oxygen entering your body. Breathe into your body – feel the
breath from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. When your mind has
wandered, bring your attention back to the shower, back to the physical
sensations, back to the feeling of the breath inside your body.
Mindfulness
– “What” Skills
There
are three key components of mindfulness – observation, description, and
participation. Observation involves paying attention to the present moment by
noticing the breath and the physical senses – what we see, hear, smell, taste,
and touch. Observation also involves noticing thoughts and feelings – a thought
as a thought, a feeling as a feeling. Not trying to change thoughts of feelings
in any way, but notice them passing in the mind as leaves upon a stream or as
clouds in the sky. Rather than trying to control emotions and thoughts, take a
step back and notice them – observe thoughts passing in the mind, notice
emotions rising and falling. Observation puts some distance between yourself
and the thought or feelings – allowing you to notice them without getting
caught up in them.
Describing simply involves putting words onto our observations by using simple factual statements – “the chair is made of metal”, “the shower feels warm”, “the umbrella is yellow”, “the breath is shallow”. It can be helpful to mentally say to yourself “thinking” or “feeling” as thoughts and feelings come and go in the mind. This adds a simple description to the thought or feeling – helping you to recognise and put some distance between yourself and the thought or emotion. You become the observer and describer of your thoughts and feelings. Noticing and labelling our thoughts and feelings allows us to step back a little, letting the thought or feeling come and go naturally.
Participating
means throwing yourself completely into activities of the current moment –
becoming fully absorbed by the breath or the task in hand. Participation is immersing
oneself in the now – becoming one
with the present moment. Children are naturally brilliant at participating,
immersing themselves completely in play. It is a skill we tend to lose as
adults and need to practice in mindfulness. Whatever you find yourself doing,
devote yourself wholly to the task. If washing the dishes, become absorbed by
the sound of the water running, feel the bubbles against your skin, notice the
smell of the fairy liquid. Focus on what you are doing – participate fully in
the task.
Mindfulness
– “How” Skills
It is
important to know how to practice mindfulness – non-judgementally, one-mindfully,
and effectively. Taking a non-judgemental approach is key to developing
mindfulness skills. Too often we are ready to criticise and make unkind
judgments about ourselves and others. We are often most judgemental about
ourselves – this can lead to a downward spiral of negatives thoughts and
harmful behaviours. In mindfulness, it is important to be openminded and
non-judgemental. This involves sticking to the facts of observation and description.
Facts are not judgements. “I notice my breath”, “This chair is yellow”, “The
shower is warm” – these are facts. “I’m not breathing properly”, “I hate yellow”,
“This shower is pathetic” are judgements. In mindfulness, we stick to the facts
and avoid judging ourselves or others.
It is
also important to practice mindfulness one-mindfully. It is easy to get caught up
multitasking – with our fingers in too many pies. Mindfulness ought to be
one-mindful. This means being completely present in this one moment – doing one
thing at a time. Notice the breath – concentrate wholly upon the breath. Notice
the sounds of the shower, the smell of the soap, the feel of the water against
the skin. In mindfulness, we attend fully to the breath or the task in hand. We
become one with what we are doing.
Finally,
it is important to practice mindfulness effectively – this means doing what
works to achieve our goals. There are different ways to practice mindfulness –
each participant must do what works for them. You may find it helpful to count
the breaths as in the formal practice of mindfulness, or you may wish notice
sounds in the room, to observe an object like a pebble or a seashell, to notice
thoughts like clouds in the sky, or imagine yourself as the gatekeeper to your
mind watching thoughts and feelings come and go, or notice physical sensations
in your body scanning down from head to toe. You may wish to incorporate mindfulness
into everyday life when washing the dishes, brushing your teeth, or driving the
car. Do what works.
Mindfulness
– observing, describing, and participating non-judgementally, one-mindfully,
and effectively – can ‘keep us anchored safely in our bodies when the going
gets tough. It can grow into a way of life that protects us from unnecessary
suffering’ (Christopher Germer).
Recommended Reading
Baer, Ruth, ‘Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A
Conceptual and Empirical Review’, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice,
10, 2 (Summer, 2003), 125–43.
Germer, Christopher, The
Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and
Emotions (2009).
Harris, Russell, ‘Mindfulness without Meditation’, HCPJ
(October, 2009), 21–24.
Hayes, S. C. & Chad, Shenk, ‘Operationalising mindfulness
without unnecessary attatchments’, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice,
11, 3 (2004), 249–54.
Johnstone, Matthew, Quiet
the Mind: An Illustrated Guide on How to Meditate (2012)
Kabat Zinn, Jon, Wherever You Go, There You Are (2004).
Stanton M, Dunkley C, ‘First Steps in Mindfulness Skills’, Nursing
Times, 107, 6 (2011), 22–24.