What is mindful living?
Mindful living is being present in the moment, experiencing life – the good and the not-so good – without judgment or trying to change what is going on. As you experience life mindfully, you are able to understand what is happening, to notice it, then release it and move on.
How freeing! But how to make this happen?
Through mindful meditation you begin to understand how you really can notice thoughts and distractions without judgment and allow them to move through you and pass on. As you embrace mindful meditation, you will gradually learn how to do the same throughout your day.
Consider these two scenarios:
• You are stuck in a traffic jam or on a long line at the grocery store: Instead of growing agitated and anxious, you will take some deep breaths, experience what is going on, and perhaps see the objects and people around you that you previously would never have noticed.
• You are in a business meeting where your co-workers are vying for attention: Instead of joining in, you are able to listen and observe, and when the time is right, offer your thoughts.
In both cases you are breathing deeply and fully engaged in what is happening in your life. That is mindful living, being fully awake in your own life. You are tapping into your powerful inner resources and using them to lead a richer life.
In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder and former director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center:
“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment.
We feel more alive.
We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation and healing.
Insightful mindfulness meditation is life-changing.