What is Mind-less-ness?

Before we discuss what mindfulness is, let's consider what 'mind-less-ness' is. We spend a lot of our life in autopilot, moving through life mindlessly. In these moments, it’s like our body is in one place and our mind is in another. Common examples of this are:

• Driving and arriving somewhere with no awareness of what we were seeing or doing on the way
• Reading a page of a book and realising we haven’t registered anything
• Putting the milk in the pantry
• Listening to someone speak and realising we haven’t heard what they’ve said 
• Putting our keys somewhere, and then not knowing where we put them



QUESTION: Consider times in your life where you may have experiences of being absent-minded, or operating on automatic pilot (i.e. behaving mechanically, without really being aware of what is going on).



The question is, what is our mind focused on if it is not focused on the activity that our body is engaging in? Frequently, we are either thinking about something in the future, or being caught up in something that happened in the past. This can prevent us from fully experiencing what's happening right now, such as looking at a beautiful sunset but being distracted by a past argument. This disconnection can lead to negative outcomes, like accidents from not paying attention, or repeating mistakes without understanding why.

QUESTION: What are some consequences you have experienced when being preoccupied with thoughts about the past or future?



What is Mindfulness?

So, now that we have explored the opposite, what is mindfulness?

• Intentionally living with awareness in the present moment. Waking up from automatic or rote behaviours to participate and be present to our own lives
• Full open awareness of your present moment (thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, urges) without judgment and without trying to change it.
• Without attachment to the moment. Attending to the experience of each new moment, rather than ignoring the present but clinging to the past of grabbing for the future
• a skill that can be learnt, so that you can be in control of your own mind, instead of letting your mind be in control of you.
  
  
  

“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our own lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We feel more alive. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation and healing.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

What is Mindfulness Practice?

Mindfulness and mindfulness skills can be practiced at anytime, anywhere, while doing anything. Intentionally paying attention to the moment, without judging it or holding on to it, is all that is needed.

Examples of mindfulness:

• Meditation is practicing mindfulness and mindfulness skills while sitting, standing, or lying quietly for a predetermined period of time. When meditating, we focus the mind (for example, we focus on body sensations, emotions, thoughts, or our breath), or we open the mind (paying attention to whatever comes into our awareness).
• Contemplative prayer (such as Christian centering prayer, the rosary, Jewish Shema, Islamic Sufi practice, or Hindu raja yoga) is a spiritual mindfulness practice.
• Mindfulness movement, such as, martial arts (Qigong, tai chi, aikido, and karate), and spiritual dancing. Hiking, horseback riding, and walking can also be ways to practice mindfulness.

QUESTION: Consider if there are any activities you engage in that are forms of mindfulness.

PRACTICE EXERCISE

We will be using and practicing mindfulness throughout this course. Your first opportunity to practice mindfulness is below.

Grounding through the senses

Grounding through the five senses is a mindfulness technique that helps bring you back to the present moment by engaging your sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste. By focusing on what you can see, feel, hear, smell, and taste, this exercise gently shifts attention away from distressing thoughts and into the here and now.

The following exercise goes for about 5 minutes and focuses on sight, sound, and touch. If you practice this in the future, you can also choose to focus on taste and smell.

After the exercise, reflect on your experience and when you might be able to use this in the future.