Mindfulness

Mindfulness is awareness of the present moment. It’s living here and now. Through mindfulness, you are freed from becoming entangled in thoughts of your past, and you are freed from worrying about the future.  In the here and now, everything just is...and there is great peace in that.  In my experience it takes practice, but in learning and using its principles it is possible to slow things down, to bring a focus and a calm and to full appreciate and savour life.  It's not about sitting in the lotus position chanting 'om', or and such thing, but about being self aware.

Of any resources to access to begin to explore mindfulness THIS ONE (clicky) is the best in terms of explanations and giving short exercises to try.  (The rest of the site has some amazing resources on it too so dig in - just don't overload yourself - be MINDFUL of your limits!)

You can practice mindfulness in lots of ways and at first it may seem a bit laborious but its worth persevering.  Mindfulness can improve concentration, increase clarity of thought, deepen peace of mind, alleviate stress, increase insight and self awareness, encourage change and improve your attitude towards yourself and the world around you.

Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating is:• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing
opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.
• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.
• Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without judgment.
• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

Have a go for yourself - set aside three minutes, go grab a raisin (all will become clear) settle comfortably and press play! (or if you prefer visual learning go here for a similar exercise in print!)