DISCOVER
PRACTICE THE PAUSE Learn how mindfulness can help your family Written by Christina Dalton
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n my last article, we began a conversation about mindfulness. The responses I received were amazing and you wanted to know more. In this second installment, I am going to focus on how you can practice mindfulness daily, which can be anywhere and anytime. Let’s jump in! First let’s take a look back at the definition of mindfulness from last time. According to the “godfather of modern mindfulness,” Jon KabatZinn, mindfulness is “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” Our lives present so many opportunities to practice
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this at any given moment. When I am teaching mindfulness to children, I use the term, “practicing the pause.” When you practice mindfulness, you can learn how to “pause” and gain the ability to be present in the current moment, absent of judgment for ourselves and others. The more you practice, the stronger your skills will become and the more wellness benefits you will receive. Picture this scenario: it’s early on a Monday and you are rushing to get yourself and kids out the door and off to school on time. Do you think that your stress levels are getting tested? Do you remember what you talked about on the way to school? Did you get
in a fight because you were in such a hurry? And now you’re headed to work and someone cuts you off in traffic. Did they even look to see you there? You’re now filled with road rage. When you get to work, Becky from accounting starts asking way too many questions and you’re quick to snap at her. You sit down and think what just happened? Instead of pausing for a moment, we react to events and interactions with others. We become a slave to life’s stressors. But with mindfulness, you can decide to ditch the stress, be aware of the present moment, and take charge of your life. Learning to be in the moment can be a way of living with intention
