Mindfulness

Return again and again to the moment (video)

15/08/2022

Mindfulness is often thought of as ‘being in the moment.’ It’s more about returning to the moment again and again.

That’s because our minds wander by default – so we have to keep bringing them back.

One way to bring our attention back is to focus awareness on our breathing. This is perhaps the most basic of all mindfulness exercises – observing your breathing, perhaps counting the breath as you do. For instance you could count to 7 while breathing in and to 11 while breathing out, for a while. If 11 is too much of a stretch for you, use a shorter number.

Deliberate awareness of breathing has a calming effect on the emotional centre of the brain and that is probably why it is to popular among mindfulness practitioners. 

Returning again and again helps us to avoid getting lost in rumination.  Rumination means thinking negative thoughts over and over again.

Rumination can lead us towards depression or excessive anger so the ability to come out of it quickly is very valuable.

To learn more about all aspects of mindfulness, check out my Easy Mindfulness online course. 

Image by Photo by Zdeněk Macháček on Unsplash

 


Padraig O'Morain

I have practised mindfulness since the late 1980s, have taught mindfulness throughout Ireland and in London, have demonstrated mindfulness on ITV, RTE and TV3 and have had books on mindfulness published in several countries and languages. I provide public and corporate courses. My latest book is "Daily Calm - 100 daily reminders to help you build the mindfulness habit." My aim is to make mindfulness easily accessible to people in their everyday lives.