{"id":4987,"date":"2022-05-23T14:20:33","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T14:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moments.org.uk\/?page_id=4987"},"modified":"2022-06-21T14:58:46","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T14:58:46","slug":"4987-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/moments.org.uk\/4987-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Mindfulness?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mindfulness Practice<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mindfulness is a practice of bringing our attention to our experience in the present moment. Both our inner experience of thoughts, emotions and sensations in the body, as well as our experience through the senses of sight, sound, taste and touch. For attention to be mindful <\/em>we orient our attention deliberately<\/em> and without judgement<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we are being mindful, we are not lost in thought or mind-wandering, so we intentionally<\/em> bring awareness to our experience in the moment on purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we are aware of experience without judgement<\/em>, we let go of any preferences, desires, judgements or expectations we might have of experience. We become aware of experience simply as it is<\/em>. Whether it is sights, sounds, tastes, smells, bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions, feelings, it doesn\u2019t matter, we simply observe our experience as it is, <\/em>bringing an intentional and non-judgemental awareness to whatever is present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can practice this kind of paying attention in formal meditation practice, or just about in any moment of our waking life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It sounds simple right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact this most simple of practices can challenge us in precisely the ways we need to learn about ourselves and grow. When we become aware of our experience in this mindful way, we realise just how rare and precious it is to let go of all of those stories in our heads, the likes, the dislikes, hopes, fears and anxieties that we have acquired throughout our lives and that distract us from the simple, joyful reality of being in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mindfulness practice teaches us how to disentangle ourselves from the mental habits that cause us suffering and let go \u2013 reconnecting with the world, ourselves, and others in a wiser, more free and intentional way.<\/p>\n\n\n