Mindfulness: The Art of Paying Attention

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

1.       What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the art of paying attention. It brings you into the present moment by an awareness of the breath and the sensations in the body. As the words of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount remind us, mindfulness frees us from worry about what tomorrow will bring and what the future holds for us. You may find it helpful to say mentally to yourself during breathing meditation: “breathing in” and “breathing out” or simply “in” and “out” to notice your breath. Some find it helpful to count the breaths from one to ten and ten to one, or to gently place their hands upon their tummy and feel the rise and fall of the body. A central aspect of mindfulness is known as the body scan in which the participant scans down the body from head to toe noting any sensations, feelings, and becoming aware of the breath coming in and out of the body. Intention is an important part of mindfulness practice. It gives you something to focus on during mindfulness. This is often done by concentrating on the breath as it comes into the body and leaves the body. It is possible to have other kinds of intention such as a simple mantra, the flame of a candle, a person you love, a smooth pebble in the hand, or clouds passing in the sky. Intention gives focus and focus brings awareness of the observing self. Sometimes thoughts and feelings arise during the practice of mindfulness that distract us from the awareness of the body or the breath. It can be helpful to mentally say to oneself: “I am aware of the thought that …” or “I am aware of the feeling of …”. More simply, you might just say “thinking” and “feeling” to oneself. This helps us to label our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up inside them. We notice a thought as a thought, a feeling as a feeling. We let them come and go like clouds in the sky or leaves upon a stream. Once you have noticed the thought or feeling, you may gently bring your awareness back to the breath and the body.

Another important technique in mindfulness is the art of visualisation. This is the practice of summoning images to one’s mind during meditation. It can be helpful to think of a place where you feel happiest – your special place – perhaps in beautiful countryside, or walking along the seafront, or camping in a forest, or even sitting beside the fire in your study. You should practice using imagery when you feel calm and relaxed in order to bring such images to mind when you feel distressed or anxious. Sometimes it is okay to let the mind wander. We call this resting awareness. We simply allow the brain to think or feel without drawing our attention back to the breath or the body. It is recommended that you try this only for short bursts when beginning meditation for the first time (perhaps only a minute or two), but with practice resting awareness can be extended to the whole of life and to our everyday activities (such as brushing your teeth, having a shower, washing the dishes, or doing the ironing). Everyday mindfulness is about knowing where you are and focusing on what you are doing. Another form of meditation aims to show compassion to yourself and to other people. This is known as lovingkindness meditation. It is the art of showing compassion to yourself or another person prayerfully within your mind. This could be a close friend, a family member, an acquaintance, or even a stranger. It can be helpful to formulate a mantra such as the following: ‘May this person be at ease. May they be content with their life. May they be joyful. May they be safe and secure’. In showing love and kindness to others, we also learn to be kind, gentle, and gracious towards ourselves. While mindfulness may bring positive benefits to the practitioner such as inner peace, a sense of calm, relief from stress, anxiety, or depression, the goal of mindfulness is simply awareness. Sometimes this can mean being aware of distressing thoughts or feelings, as well as happy thoughts, or a sense of calm and inner peace. The goal of mindfulness is not to supress thoughts or feelings, or to empty the mind, but to simply notice them and let them pass like cars passing on a motorway. Contrary to popular belief, mindfulness is not about emptying the mind or making your mind completely blank. It is actually about paying attention and noticing thoughts and feelings. As you become the observer of your thoughts, you are able to put some distance between yourself and distressing thoughts. This is why many mental health professionals around the world recommend the practice of mindfulness for those who struggle with anxiety and depression. It has been used in many of the latest treatments for mental health conditions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

Mindfulness should be practiced for its own sake and not simply for benefits it may bring. Mindfulness is not some kind of Americanised positive thinking programme: bad thoughts out and good thoughts up. On the contrary, mindfulness trains us to notice and become aware of both “good” and “bad” thoughts in the mind – or better still to notice them simply as thoughts, neither good nor bad. Having said that, mindfulness has been shown to have many positive applications in the field of mental health and psychological wellbeing. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to decrease feelings of depression in clients and help prevent a future relapse of depression as effectively as antidepressants. This is not to say that mindfulness should be seen as a substitute for antidepressant medication, but that it may be used alongside of medication to treat depressive or anxiety disorders. Mindfulness has also been shown to reduce anxiety and stress in clients with social anxiety or generalised anxiety disorders and may help prevent relapse as effectively as medication. Many grounding techniques used by psychological therapists to treat people with anxiety disorders and panic attacks draw upon the essentials of mindfulness practice (such as the three-minute breathing space or the 5-4-3-2-1 technique which we will consider below). Mindfulness has also been shown to improve memory and cognitive abilities and to strengthen relationships with others by increasing empathy and compassion. It also helps with a sense of wakefulness and intention during the day and prepares the mind to rest at night. Although mindfulness practice may take from 10 to 20 minutes a day. Many people who practice mindfulness believe the time is well spent and prepares them to face the challenges of the day. In making time for mindfulness, we create time during the rest of the day and bring a sense of awareness to everything we do, think, and say. Mindfulness is ultimately about acceptance. As the serenity prayer encourages us to say, ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference’. This prayer captures the very heart of mindfulness intention – serenity, courage, and wisdom.

2.       Mindful Eating

One simple and enjoyable form of meditation is known as ‘mindful eating’. This practice encourages us to eat something slowly and notice everything about the process of eating – taste, texture, smell, etc. For example, you may take a piece of chocolate, place it in your mouth, and resist the urge to chew. Simply notice the sensations in your mouth, the feelings of texture and taste. Slowly let the chocolate melt upon your tongue. Enjoy it. Savour the flavour and the feelings. Whenever your mind wanders, bring your awareness back to the chocolate and feelings of it melting in your mouth. This is a simple form of mindfulness. Traditional practice uses raisins or nuts for a period of mindful eating. Set aside five or ten minutes when you will not be disturbed and sit uprightly and alert in a chair with both feet planted firmly on the ground – this is known as a grounding posture. Switch off your mobile phone and any devices that may distract you from the exercise. Hold the raisins in your hand, notice them, approach with curiosity and a sense of wonder, imagine that you have never seen a raisin before in your life and that it has just become the most curious object in the world. You might think of yourself as an alien from outer space encountering a raisin for the first time. Take time to really observe the raisin. Notice every little detail about it – the colour, texture, size, shape. Feel the texture between your fingers and thumbs. Smell the raisin and notice its scent. Slowly place the raisin in your mouth and resist the urge to chew. Notice the taste and feel of the raisin on your tongue. Then slowly begin to chew. How does it taste now? Is it sweet or bitter? Remember to chew mindfully. When you are ready, swallow the raisin. Notice any aftertaste or sensations in your mouth. This is a form of mindful eating. Whenever your mind wanders, bring your senses back to the raisin and repeat the practice as needed. Imagine if we approached the whole of life with the simplicity and curiosity of eat a raisin mindfully. We could brush our teeth mindfully, drink and coffee mindfully, wash the dishes mindfully. The seemingly mundane tasks of life could become delightful pleasures.

3.       Mindful Breathing

Focusing on the breath is the most traditional form of mindfulness practice. We focus on the breath because it is always with us from birth to death. It is life itself breathing within us. It helps us to become present in each moment as we inhale and exhale. Each breath is a moment in the present. Although we can control the breath, the breath generally takes care of itself as a bodily function. We breathe without thinking about it. The breath is also an indicator to how we are feeling. Slow, careful, relaxed breaths generally indicate ease and comfort, while short, sharp breaths indicate anxiety and tension. In meditation, the breath forms a kind of anchor to ground us in the present moment. Every time we find that our mind has wandered, we can bring our attention back to the breath. It is important to settle into a comfortable seating position during meditation. This may be upright in a chair or with crossed legs on the floor. It is important that the posture is alert to keep the practitioner in a state of present awareness. Ideally, your spine would be self-supporting and upright. Meditation is not about sleeping or dozing. It is about awareness. You begin by bringing awareness to the body. Noticing the contact between your body and the chair and the feeling of your feet on the ground. This can be a particularly helpful posture for people with anxiety as it grounds you in the present. Using the mind as a scanner begin with the tips of your toes and slowly move up the body, noticing any feelings or sensations such as contact with the ground or the breath rising and falling in the body. Scan from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. If there are no sensations, simply continue your upwards scan of the body. Spend a moment or two noticing the whole body and then bring your attention specifically to the breath. Notice the breath as it comes in and out of the body. You may wish to place your hand upon your tummy and notice the feel of the abdomen rising and falling. There is no need to control the breath in any way, though you may wish to start with some initial deep breaths. Simply notice the breath as it breathes itself. Congratulations. If you have made it this far, then you are present in the moment and you are practicing mindfulness. It really is as simple as breathing.

Sooner or later your mind will wander, and you might be tempted to be critical or harsh with yourself. However, mindfulness encourages us to be compassionate when the mind roams as it naturally will do. Gently and lovingly notice the fact that your mind has wandered and then bring your awareness back to the breath. Each time you notice your mind wandering, make a mental note of it, and bring your attention back to the breath, and the rise and fall of your chest. Notice thoughts as thoughts, and feelings as feelings. Initially, your mind will be like an untrained and excitable puppy, running all over the house and causing chaos, but with practice, training, and patience you can learn to become the observer of your mind, rather than being caught up in clouds of negative thoughts and feelings. Remember a thought is just a thought. And just because you think it, doesn’t make it true. We may not be able to control the thoughts that we have (since we have thousands every day), but we can control how we relate to our thoughts, notice, and observe them. You may wish to label thoughts and feelings as “Here is a thought”, “Here is a worry”, “Here is a feeling”, and then allow it to pass, returning your concentration to the feeling of the breath in and out of the body.

4.       Mind and Body

Your body is deeply connected to your mind. It is a psychosomatic relationship. Your body posture and gestures can affect how you feel. An open posture allows you to feel more relaxed and at ease, while a closed posture can make you feel more uptight or anxious. A frown can make you feel sad, while a smile can make you feel happy. An open, relaxed, and upright posture is recommended for mindfulness with a gentle half-smile – not forced, but authentic. Yoga is the practice of mindful movement and is considered briefly below. It concerns mindfulness with respect to the body and its union with the human psyche. It aims to unite body and mind through various techniques such as breathing, posture, relaxation, and meditation. However, the body scan may also be used to reintegrate body and mind as you hold each part of your body with non-judgemental awareness. This can be profoundly soothing in a world that encourages body shaming, and which is highly critical about body image and how we appear to others. Mindfulness teaches that you have nothing to be ashamed of with respect to your body. It is part of who you are and a wider part of the universe as a whole. To practice a more detailed kind of body scan, you may wish to lie down on your back in a place where you will feel comfortable and undisturbed. You may wish to lie on top of your bed or upon a comfortable rug and cushion on the floor. When you are ready, you may find it helpful to close your eyes. Reach out with your mind and notice any sensations or feelings in the body. Gently remind yourself about intention: this is about “falling awake” rather than “falling asleep”.  You may wish to bring your awareness to your abdomen and the rise and fall of the breath in the body. Then gather your attention as if you were holding a scanner and move the rays of light from the top of your head to the tips of your toes – pausing and noticing any sensations, thoughts, or feelings about the body as you scan through the body. Imagine your breath filling your whole body as you breath in and leaving your body as you breath out. When you notice that your mind has wandered, gently bring your awareness back to the body as you scan from head to toe. You may wish to pause on each part of the body as you scan for about 30 seconds, noticing any sensations or the feeling of the breath coming into your body and going out. If you fall asleep during this practice, it is important to acknowledge your tiredness and not judge yourself. Maybe you needed a rest after a busy day at work. If you find this keeps happening during body scans, you may wish to try the process while sitting upright rather than lying down. If you feel distracted, simply notice the distraction, and then bring your attention back to the body. You may wish to label the distraction as “thinking”, “worrying”, “restlessness”, or “boredom”, and in so doing you become the observer of these things, rather than simply getting caught up in them or overwhelmed by them. It is natural to worry about whether you or “doing it properly” or “getting it right”, but there is no right or wrong way to meditate. Simply notice these thoughts and let them pass. We all have an inner critic who is waiting to tell us off for doing things wrong or messing up. This is true for life in general and not only mindfulness. Notice your inner critic and let him pass like a stormy cloud moving through the sky of your mind. He is there one minute and gone the next.  

5.       Mindful Movement

Mindful movement or Yoga is the art of practicing mindfulness of the body when moving or doing spiritual exercise. This is not the place to embark on a tangent about Yoga itself. We simply introduce some simple movements that allow you to reconnect with your body and to be mindful while moving and stretching. If you have a physical problem with your back or any other part of your body, you should consult with a physician before doing these exercises. It is unlikely that the gentle stretches in mindful movement would do any lasting damage to the body. These particular exercises are not specifically Yoga practices, but they are based on similar ideas to the mindful movement taught by Yoga practitioners. You could also practice mindful movement during Pilates, doing stretches before and after exercising at the gym, or while swimming. Mindful movement does not necessarily need to have the religious connotations associated with Yoga. You may wish to wear only socks or to go barefoot for practicing mindful movement. Stand with your feet about a hip-width apart, with the knees unlocked to allow you to bend slightly. Close your eyes and while breathing in, slowly and mindfully raise both your arms out to the sides and upwards until the hands are raised above your head. Notice the sensations in your arms, body, and muscles as you mindfully raise them with each in-breath. Continue to stretch upwards with your feet grounded and your fingertips pointing towards the sky. Notice the feeling of your muscles stretching and the rhythm of your breathing. When you are ready, slowly, and mindfully lower your arms, noticing any sensations in your body and the feeling of your breath entering and leaving the body. Notice how you feel once the stretch is completed, particularly feelings in your muscles, or the pace of your breathing. Opening your eyes, imagine that you are picking fruit that is just out of reach from an apple or pear tree. Mindfully stretch each arm and hand up in turn and pick fruit from your imaginary tree. Notice all the sensations in your body, muscles, and breath as you do this. Now slowly and mindfully bend your body sideways, putting your hands on your hips, and allowing the body to bend either to the right or the left, so that the body forms a big curve sideways. Imagine you are doing this between two panes of glass, rather than allowing your body to bend forwards or backwards. It does not matter how much you can bend sideways, what matters is the quality of attention and awareness that you bring to the movement. Finally, practice rolling your shoulders while letting your arms dangle passively. Let your breathing determine the pace of the shoulder rotation. Notice any sensations in your body and pay particular attention to the breath in each part of the movement. Remain still for a while and reflect upon these simple exercises: where did you feel sensations in the body, what did each stretch and motion feel like, and how did your breathing change during the exercise. Imagine extending mindful movement to your daily walk or park run. It might bring so much more meaning and awareness to the exercise as you notice your breathing, the sights, the sounds, the scents, and fall of your feet upon the floor. What seems like mundane exercise becomes an opportunity for healing and spiritual growth.

6.       Lovingkindness

Lovingkindness meditation (LKM) is the art of bringing a sense of compassion towards ourselves and others. We are often our own worst critics. We criticise ourselves for irrational emotions. We tell ourselves that we shouldn’t be feeling this way. We believe that some of our thoughts are toxic. We are constantly making judgements about whether our thoughts are good or bad. We constantly disapprove of who we are and what we think, do, and say. LKM helps us to overcome the voice of our inner critic by turning our hearts and minds towards others and ourselves with love, kindness, compassion, gentleness, and respect. We begin LKM by sitting in a comfortable position with our eyes closed or gaze lowered. We bring awareness to the breath and to the feeling of the breath in the body. We focus especially on that place where we feel lovingkindness the most – our heart centre. You may find it helpful to put your hand over the place where you feel love the most. And you say to yourself something like: ‘May I be well, happy, peaceful, and content with my life’. You may wish to repeat this a few times over and notice how it feels to be kind to yourself. You may then wish to turn your attention to a friend or loved-one and say, ‘May this person be well, happy, peaceful and content with their life’. Repeat as needed and notice how this act of kindness towards a loved one feels. Finally, you may wish to say for a stranger or acquaintance (a neutral person), ‘May this person be well, happy, peaceful, and content with their life’.  Notice how it feels to share love and compassion with others in this thoughtful and prayerful way. By being compassionate towards others, we learn to show compassion to ourselves. We can even show love and compassion towards those whom we find challenging or difficult. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to love even our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). That is a real challenge for some of us, but perhaps in learning to be kind and loving towards our enemies, we learn to be kind and loving to ourselves also.

7.       Grounding Oneself

Grounding techniques are intensive mindfulness practices that bring your awareness away from a place of distress and despair and to a place of relative calm and serenity. They have been found helpful in treating panic disorders, acute anxiety, stress, suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociation. The three-minute breathing space was developed as a part of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and is often described by clients as one of the most useful and effective mindfulness practices for spiritual and emotional grounding in the present moment. Mark Williams and Danny Penman describe the three-minute breathing space as a kind of ‘emergency meditation’ for use when feeling anxious, stressed, dissociated, or depressed. This practice should take the shape of an hourglass beginning with broad awareness, narrowing to a focus on the breath, and then opening oneself to broad awareness again.

1.       Become aware. Adopt an alert posture whether sitting or standing, gently close your eyes, and bring your awareness to your body and mind. Acknowledge thoughts as thoughts, feelings as feelings, and sensations as sensations. It may be helpful to label them “thinking”, “feeling”, and “sensing” before allowing them to pass without judgement.

2.       Gather and focus attention. Bring a spotlight to bear upon the breath, particularly as it is felt rising and falling in the body. Use the breath as a way of anchoring or grounding yourself in the present moment. If your mind wanders, bring your awareness back to the feeling of the breath in the body.

3.       Expand attention. Become aware of the whole body, your posture, facial expression, feelings of tension, and bodily sensations. Expand your attention to the room, the sights, the sounds, the smells around you. Feel your feet planted firmly in the ground. You are safe. You are secure. You are loved. And when you are ready, gently open your eyes.

When you feel well-practiced in this skill, you can also incorporate radical acceptance into the process. This means accepting the things in your life that you cannot change. You might notice anger or self-critical thoughts during a crisis. It may be helpful to label such thoughts and feelings: “I am aware of feeling angry”, or “I am aware of my inner critic”. When you focus on the breath, you may wish to say, “breathing in” and “breathing out”, or you may find it helpful to count each breath as it enters and leaves the body. In terms of radical acceptance, you may wish to say to yourself: “It’s okay to feel this way. Whatever it is, it is okay to be open towards it”. As Mark Williams and Danny Penman observe, ‘There is a possibility of dwelling, moment by moment, in a state of mind that cradles you in a non-judgemental and compassionate wisdom’. The three-minute breathing space helps towards achieving this state of mind.

There are countless useful grounding techniques that incorporate mindfulness and a sense of being present in the moment. Here are some common examples you may wish to try:

v  Deep breathing exercises. This involves breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth slowly and deliberately. In traditional mindfulness practice, you allow the breath to take its ordinary rhythm. With the grounding technique, you take deliberate, slow, and focused breaths – noticing particularly how you feel on the outbreath as this is particularly calming for those suffering from a panic attack or meltdown.

v  The 5-4-3-2-1 technique involves noticing five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. It can be helpful to carry sensory objects with you to aid in this lesson, as well as some boiled sweets or sugar free gum for the sense of taste.  

v  Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and relaxing each muscle in your body systematically. Although this technique is like the body scan in progressively working your way through each part of the body, the difference is that you deliberately create sensations in your body by tensing and relaxing the muscles – noticing especially how it feels as you relax each muscle.

v  Mental grounding techniques such as focusing on a specific object like a pebble or a candle and describing it in detail can help focus the mind and relief anxiety. You could also focus on a specific thought or feeling and describe it to yourself in detail with a sense of openness and curiosity.

v  Sensory grounding such as smelling scented candles, lavender oil, listening to soft, relaxing music, or feeling the texture of your favourite cuddly teddy bear or a soft, warm blanket can often bring comfort in distress. Some find weighted blankets helpful for self-soothing.  

v  Visualisation or guided imagery is the process of imagining yourself in a peaceful and calming environment such as somewhere in the countryside or near the seaside. Visualisation is an important mindfulness practice, and it is helpful to practice this many times when you are calm, so that when you are distressed or anxious you are readily able to visualise your special place of safety.  

v  Mindful physical exercise such as being mindful while you go for a run, a brisk walk, or even a swim can be an effective way to relief stress and anxiety. Exercise is good for the body and good for the mind.

v  Self-soothing through appealing to the five senses is an important aspect of mindfulness practice in daily life. For this exercise, it can be helpful to put together a self-soothe box of things you find comforting and that appeal to the five senses.

v  Social grounding or spending quality time with friends, family, and loved ones in conversation and laughter is a good way to relieve stress and anxiety. Some folks with social anxiety may find this form of grounding quite tricky. They may wish to meet with other folk individually in a quiet and safe space. Even for folk with social anxiety, belonging to a tribe is essential to human wellbeing and happiness – even if that tribe consists of only two people.  

Most of these techniques appeal to the senses in some way and seek to ground the participant in the present moment mindfully and without judgement.

Conclusion

This essay has considered the meaning of mindfulness as the art of paying attention or becoming aware. Several approaches to mindfulness have been considered including mindful eating, mindful breathing, mindful movement, lovingkindness meditation, and grounding techniques for managing anxiety and stress. The relationship between the mind (psyche) and the body (soma) has also been considered and we have noted the importance of reconnecting body and mind through body scans and an awareness of the breath coming in and out of the body. The breath is crucial to traditional mindfulness practice as it brings awareness to the present moment. Since the breath is always with us, it allows us to find a place of stillness, presence, and calm. The breath will always be with you no matter how tough the situation gets – you always have this anchor to ground you in the moment – the eternal “Now”.

References and Recommended Reading

Hanh, Thich Nhat, The Miracle of Mindfulness: The Classic Guide (2008).

Harris, Russ, The Happiness Trap: New Edition (2021).

Johnstone, Matthew, I Had a Black Dog: His Name Was Depression (2005).

Johnstone, Matthew, Quiet the Mind: An Illustrated Guide on How to Meditate (2011).

Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation for Everyday Life (1994).

Puddicombe, Andy, The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness (2012).

Tolle, Eckhart, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (1999).

Wax, Ruby, A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled (2016).

Williams, Mark, and Danny Penman, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World (2011).