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Message from BWLTP Mindfulness Teacher, Braided Wisdom Board Member
Imee Contreras, CMT-P
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What exactly is mindfulness and what benefits does it offer?
Mindfulness is deep awareness of our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and our environment. Ideally, mindfulness is maintained in every moment because the goal is to turn it into a way of life. When we practice mindfulness, we are able to focus on the present moment whenever we want or need to, no matter what is happening around us.
Meditation is just one of many ways to practice mindfulness. When we meditate, we immerse ourselves in the moment for a certain amount of time. Regular practice will help us develop the ability to be fully present (or mindful) for most of our waking hours.
Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can lead to many physical, psychological and social benefits. People who are more mindful are happier, more patient, more accepting, positive, and compassionate. They also have lower stress levels, decreased aggression, frustration, and sadness. Furthermore, mindfulness has been proven to help with pain, depression and even disease.
However, we must not think that mindfulness itself gets rid of stress or problems. Rather, it helps us handle difficult situations by making us more aware of the unpleasant emotions and thoughts that arise as a result of these situations. When we are more aware or mindful, we think before we act and we are able to make sane decisions, avoiding complications and unpleasant confrontations.
When paying attention to our thoughts and feelings, it is also important that we do not judge them, that we simply accept them as they are. It is important to emphasize that being judgmental is different from making judgments or discerning. The latter is all about using our common sense to be able to make wise decisions or to help loved ones avoid making poor choices.
Being judgmental, on the other hand, has to do with making judgments in a way that may hurt others rather than help them. When we are overly critical of other people's character and when we diminish them in our or in other people's eyes, then this is negative judgment. We must never regard someone as "small" because of their attributes, their choices, or the situations that they have no control over.
