Ever heard of Mindfulness? Mindful meditation, eating, breathing, mindfulness-based stress reduction or its other benefits? Or what happens if you eat, work or study with an absent mind?

A continuous never-ending to-do list!

Doing one task while thinking of the next one!

Eating food without even experiencing its taste and texture!

Sleeping yet your brain is rolling!

Frequently forgetting about your stuff!

Forgetting people’s names!

Sounds familiar? Well, this is the psychological condition of many people around us. This is definitely not a healthy way of living. But what is the solution?

For many people, the solution that has proved very successful is mindfulness. The simplest way to explain mindfulness is “the art of being present in the moment”. Though it sounds simple, it is not trivial. You have to combine the presence and experience of your mind and body in one place and in one moment of time for both parts of your existence to converge and focus.

For example, you won’t feel the actual bliss of food if you do not focus on the taste, the texture, the sound of crunch, the movement of your mouth chewing food and the temperature of food in it. You see, how many dimensions of experience are present in one bite of your food. Just try it right away. Leave all the gadgets and other distractions around you and feel your bite. You will be astonished at the richness of your experience.

Benefits of Mindfulness

The biggest benefit of mindfulness is the feeling of being a whole entity converged at one point. With mind wandering at different places and body present in a different place, it is a very unpleasant experience. Hence, it is like stealing the fun from the moment. However, you can only feel the benefits once you experience the focus and bliss of mindfulness.

Let us explore other benefits of mindfulness.

1.     Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

One of the most recognized benefits of mindfulness is its contribution to the reduction of stress. Mindfulness increases the ability to enjoy life and achieve more through the focus and attention and helps to reduce stress. This mindfulness-based stress reduction actually is acquired because your mind is not wandering and is at peace with the present moment. Fewer regrets about the past, no useless worries about the future, less preoccupation of mind and emotion regulation are responsible for the mindfulness-based stress reduction.

2.     Focus

Mindfulness is about increased focus. It trains you to bring your mind to focus on the present moment you are going through. This practice helps to improve the working of your memory and thus results in better performance in every aspect of life be it work or sports or relationships.

3.     Increased brain Gray matter

Advanced research shows that practicing mindfulness has physical effects on the brain resulting in increased brain Gray matter in particular areas. These particular areas include the cerebellum, the left hippocampus, temporoparietal junction, and the posterior cingulate cortex. These particular brain parts are responsible for dealing with emotion regulation, perspective, memory management, and also self-referential processing.

4.     Physical health

Scientists have found that better mental health and well-being achieved through mindfulness results in better physical health. The physical benefits of mindfulness are also an outcome of mental stability and relaxation achieved through it. Mindfulness results in controlled blood pressure, reduced chronic pains, managed glucose levels and improved sleep quality and sleep pattern.

Start the journey of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is essentially a way of life. You start with little steps and gradually move on to a stage where the whole of your life becomes mindful and this becomes your way of life effortlessly. However, initially, it takes time and effort but the good news is that you can start off with as little as one activity during your day and as little time as 5 minutes a day.

For beginners, some very simple yet effective exercises to start mindfulness are as follows.

1.     Mindful breathing

This is the simplest mindful meditation exercise yet the most powerful. Mindful breathing means inhaling and exhaling with complete attention and focus. It can be done in any position but lying down with eyes closed works better and makes focusing easier. Making a routine of mindful breathing and doing it at a fixed time for 1-2 minutes every day helps too.

To practice mindful breathing, take a deep breath and inhale through your nostrils for around 2 seconds, hold your breath as long as you easily can and exhale for around 4 seconds through your mouth. It is important to concentrate on your breath and leaving your mind unoccupied with any other thought. Alternatively, you can focus on the rise and fall of your chest.

It is ok if initially, your mind wanders, don’t worry, just bring your mind back to the mindful meditation exercise and gradually your focus span will improve.

2.     Observe nature

Go for a walk preferably in nature like woods or a lake but any calm and peaceful setting would do. The best time for this mindful meditation exercise is early morning. Listen to the sounds of nature like birds chirping, the sound of the wind or the leaves cracking under your feet. Feel the wind on your skin, smell flowers or touch the water; all these exercises when done with all your senses present, enhance your connection to your roots. Most noteworthy, the point of emphasis here again is to be present in the moment and keeping all your senses i.e. touch, smell, hearing, and feeling focused on this one activity.

3.     Mindful Eating

As discussed earlier, mindful eating has loads of benefits. Start with eating a few bites practicing mindfulness and then gradually increase. For mindful eating, first sense the aroma of food, the colors and the different ingredients you can spot. When you put it in your mouth, feel its texture, taste, and temperature in your mouth. Then start chewing and feel the taste and also the movements of your mouth and then swallow. This conscious slow eating changes eating from a ritual to a pleasant experience. Mindful eating is a form of mindful meditation that not only improves your well-being but also has proven medical benefits. One of the most acclaimed result being weight loss and improved gastrointestinal health.

Today’s world is very fast and thus forces humans to keep running like in a race. This, however, is not the way human life was supposed to work. Inherently we love peace and calm. Contemporary research has now proved the disastrous effects fast-paced life has on us. It seems like we are passing through life without enjoying its beauty. This is high time that we slow down and experience life rather than just passing through it. Mindfulness is a perfect way to slow down and appreciate life and achieve serenity and happiness that lasts.