Mindfulness: What It Is and Where to Begin

It is easy to move through parts of the day without paying much attention to what is actually happening.

We think about what happened yesterday. We anticipate what needs to happen tomorrow.

We eat while looking at a screen, walk while thinking about work and have conversations while part of our attention is somewhere else entirely.

Mindfulness offers a simple invitation: notice what is happening now.

That sounds straightforward. Practising it can be surprisingly revealing.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness generally involves deliberately bringing attention to present experience.

That might mean noticing:

• what you can see

• what you can hear

• physical sensations

• your breathing

• thoughts passing through your mind

• emotions that are present

• what is happening around you

The intention is not necessarily to make those experiences disappear or immediately change them. It is first to notice them.

Being present does not mean having an empty mind

A common misunderstanding is that mindfulness requires us to stop thinking.

Thoughts are part of our experience.

Trying to force the mind to become completely empty can itself become another struggle.

Instead, mindfulness can involve noticing that attention has wandered and gently bringing it back to what is happening in the present.

You may do this many times. That is not necessarily a failure of the practice.

Noticing that your attention has moved is itself an act of awareness.

Everyday moments can become opportunities to notice

Mindfulness does not have to begin with a long meditation session.

Ordinary activities can provide opportunities to practise paying attention.

Consider eating a meal. Rather than eating automatically while thinking about something else, you might notice the smell, texture, temperature and taste of the food.

While walking, you might notice the sensation of your feet meeting the ground, sounds around you or changes in temperature and light.

During a conversation, you might notice when you stop listening because you have already begun preparing your response.

The activity itself may not change. Your attention to it does.

A simple place to begin

One simple practice is to spend a few minutes paying attention to your breathing.

You do not necessarily need to change the breath. Simply notice it.

Notice the sensation of breathing in. Notice breathing out.

Your attention will probably move elsewhere. A thought may appear. A sound may catch your attention. You may remember something you need to do.

When you notice that happening, acknowledge it and return your attention to the breath.

There is no need to judge yourself for becoming distracted. The practice is the returning.

Mindfulness and difficult thoughts or emotions

Present-moment awareness does not mean that every present moment feels comfortable.

Sometimes what we notice may be difficult. A thought may be uncomfortable. An emotion may be strong. A physical sensation may draw our attention.

Mindfulness should not be understood as an instruction to ignore problems, tolerate unsafe circumstances or avoid seeking appropriate support.

It is simply one way of paying closer attention to experience.

How can mindfulness relate to counselling?

Counselling can involve examining patterns, assumptions, emotional responses and the ways we interpret what happens around us.

That requires some capacity to notice what is happening.

Mindfulness and counselling are not the same thing, but present-moment awareness may sometimes provide another way of observing thoughts, emotions and responses as they occur.

Rather than immediately reacting to an experience, there may be an opportunity to notice it first.

That moment of awareness can sometimes create room for another question: What is happening for me here?

There is no need to do it perfectly

Mindfulness can easily become another thing we think we are supposed to be good at.

That rather misses the point.

Attention wanders. People become distracted. Some days sitting quietly may feel easy. On others it may feel frustrating.

The aim does not have to be perfect concentration. A more useful starting point may simply be curiosity.

Notice. Return. Notice again.

Start small

You do not need an elaborate routine to experiment with mindfulness.

You might begin with:

• one minute noticing your breathing

• paying full attention to the first few bites of a meal

• noticing sounds during a short walk

• putting your phone aside during a conversation

• observing a thought before immediately responding to it

Then notice what the experience is actually like for you.

Mindfulness is something that can be explored through practice rather than understood only as an idea.