OUR PEOPLE
MINDFULNE
there is no right or wron
By Mary Munro Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing PgCert Mindfulness Studies
I’ve been interested in and practiced mindfulness for over 10 years. Common reactions I have heard when discussing mindfulness have been… 1. “I am too busy to do mindfulness” 2. “Is that when you just sit and think of nothing?” 3. “I have tried it, but not sure if I am doing right” The beauty of mindfulness: there is always time to be mindful. It’s about being present in whatever we are doing, and there is no right or wrong way of doing it. I thought I would write a piece on myth busting some of the preconceptions of what it is and what it is not, to get anyone curious about mindfulness off to the best start.
What exactly is mindfulness? The Mindfulness Association’s working definition of mindfulness is ‘knowing what is happening while it is happening, without preference’. Mindfulness is a mental state, achieved by focusing our awareness on the present moment, while acknowledging and accepting any feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Mindfulness is not easy – it is a “practice” Sometimes it can be easy, sometimes it’s not (especially when beginning mindfulness practice). If you find your mind wanders off thinking about other things – that is completely okay and totally normal. As human beings, we have these butterfly minds that like to fly off to different places. This becomes easier with practice to bring our minds back to the 28
