What is it? Continuous, clear
awareness of the present moment. Always returning, whether from an
enjoyable fantasy, an emotional outburst or a melancholy remembrance;
always returning to this moment. Being fully here,
present-moment after present-moment. This is mindfulness. It’s not
about having your “mind-full” of something, it’s actually the opposite –
it’s the setting aside of your mental and emotional baggage, resulting
in a clarity and a fluidity that lets thoughts, feelings and
perceptions flow smoothly through your awareness without sticking.
How do we get it? Mindfulness
is something you do rather than get. But, as you find as soon as you
start trying, it can be quite difficult to simply pay attention to what
is happening right in front of you. If you’re like most people, you’ve
trained yourself over many years to spend your energy following your
inner narratives. So, as soon as you’ve set your awareness on something,
it bounces away to interpretations, speculations and projections, and
often ends up in a swirl of emotion. To change this you have to re-train
your mind.
3 steps
The Three Step method is a roadmap to the
mindful life. Rooted in Zen Buddhism, its new approach begins with
viewing our states of mind as physical places that we visit. We
explore the landscape of each one and discover its main characteristics
so that we can pinpoint our position on the roadmap at any time. As we
do this we learn to move between these mindstates at will. Ultimately
we see how to integrate and balance these states, moving from one to the
other to live our life in a dynamic way directly inspired by the
living moment rather than being unconsciously driven by our fears,
worries and fantasies. When we’re emotionally overwhelmed, we’ll
recognize that we’re in that “place” and know which mind-state to move
to in order to regain equanimity. When we need to take resolute action,
we’ll know which state is best suited to the task. The end result is a
self-perpetuating mindfulness: when practicing the techniques the mind
becomes calm and clear, which in turn makes the process itself more effective.
What happens when we practice this kind of
mindfulness? Part of the process is deep relaxation of both body and
mind, which can dramatically lower our stress level. We develop a
greater ability to concentrate, making us more effective when applying
ourselves to our daily tasks. We also find ourselves spending more time
in the subtle joy that comes from letting go of our day-to-day
concerns and simply floating in this living moment.
Source: Zenmindfulness.com
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