What is Mindfulness? The 7 answers to your questions

The Mindfulness can be considered a philosophy of life that includes the practice of meditation. Along with various relaxation techniques, its heyday is recent. Although many people say that they do meditation, it is sometimes a misconception, therefore before talking about Mindfulness we must clarify what meditation is.

The meditation It is an intellectual activity that seeks to achieve a state of attention centered on a thought or feeling (happiness, tranquility, harmony), an object (a stone), concentration proper, or some element of perception (heartbeat, breathing, heat bodily…). This state is recreated in the present moment and aims to free the mind of harmful thoughts.

Since Mindfulness has so much to do with the way we handle our attention focus, it is also called full attention.

Mindfulness: starting from traditional meditation

Certainly, in addition to Mindfulness there is also a religious meditation and another aimed at improving health, both physical and, in more abstract terms, psychological. Its elemental principles are very similar, since the origin of meditation, with all the branches that exist today, developed in Eastern religions such as Buddhism.

However, we can understand Mindulness as a pragmatic turn to the traditional meditation conception. That is Mindfulness research and practice proposals aim to improve people's quality of life in very concrete terms, and they are not linked to a particular religion or philosophy of life. Therefore, the practice of Mindfulness is unrelated to specific religious beliefs and philosophies of life; it is simply a practice that can become a tool to demonstrably improve people's quality of life.

The Scientific Approach to Mindfulness

Practicing Mindfulness means believing that this will improve the quality of life in certain aspects, But it does not imply belief in ideas related to dualism, spirits, gods, or life after life. death. That is why the term Mindfulness is often used to talk about a kind of meditation based on the principles of science. A systematized and "non-denominational" version of meditation, capable of being shaped by scientific discoveries and oriented towards concrete and "earthly" goals.

This is important not only because it disassociates Mindfulness from religion. It is also so because it transforms it into a tool whose application modality is relatively well agreed and, therefore, it is possible to investigate with it. from different scientific teams and anywhere in the world knowing that all people have followed the same criteria when performing Mindfulness. That is allows you to compare cases and cross data from different investigations, in addition to ensuring that all investigation teams have done the same.

This is difficult to achieve when researching meditation in general, because being "an art" each person can do it differently. In this way, while in plain meditation there are different ways of interpreting tradition, in Mindfulness it is about creating a scientifically endorsed tool. In fact, if it has been shown to help prevent relapses in depression, it is because it is conceived as a resource that must be used to intervene on specific objectives... Although there are also people who use it in their day to day simply to go through that experience.

A pragmatic, goal-oriented approach

Therefore, this philosophy can be adapted to different contexts and environments, because its approach is pragmatic and does not depend on religious dogmas. And, more importantly, its popularity has made it a library of scientific literature is being created that includes many studies exploring the potential of Mindfulness in different facets: the self control in boys and girls, the resilience development and coping resources in sick people, improvement in objective levels of health, etc.

It is this scientific monitoring that has led many people to wonder: What is mindfulness? Below you can learn their keys and main ideas.

"Your body lives in the present. And your mind? " A rhetorical question that brings us closer to the philosophy of Mindfulness.

Basic ideas about Mindfulness

From the different meditation techniques also diverse approaches are proposed: some work exclusively on the concentration, while others focus on mindfulness and self-acceptance.

The first could receive the generic label of mantra meditation, while the second responds to Mindfulness techniques.

1. What is Mindfulness?

The goal is to achieve a deep state of consciousness during the session, and several concrete techniques are used to achieve it. We try to get our conscience to relax and not make judgments of our sensations, feelings or thoughts. Know what happens in our internal forum at every moment through the management of attentional processes.

Mindfulness manages to separate the person from their thoughts in order to recognize them and question the mental patterns, giving great weight to the here and now through full attention to the present moment.

2. When to practice it?

Ideally Mindfulness should be practiced for half an hour a dayAlthough it is recommended to start with shorter sessions, of no more than ten minutes, to acclimate the mind to the new sensations and gradually build mental states of meditation. If we go over time at first, it is easy to end up frustrated by spending a lot of time on something that we still do not know how to do well, and we end up getting tired and abandoning this routine.

Therefore, learning to do Mindfulness may require some time of practice until we are able to meditate in almost any circumstance.

3. Where to do Mindfulness?

You have to try to find a noise-free place, with a temperature between 18 and 25º and in which we feel comfortable. We must not forget to deactivate telephones, alarms, electronic devices and all kinds of noises and waves that can bother us or interfere with meditation. In case we put music in the background, it is important that it is relaxing and with repetitive cycles to prevent it from monopolizing our perception.

Some people prefer to do meditation outdoors, in their garden or in a public park. It is not a bad decision, but it is important to choose a place that is not very crowded and is free of noise and distracting elements. The wearing comfortable clothes It will always be a positive element for meditation, and it is recommended to remove your shoes and all accessories that may oppress the body.

4. In what position is it practiced?

The position for Mindfulness will simply be sit comfortably on the floor; not necessarily in the lotus position, but it is essential that the posture leaves the back at a right angle to facilitate breathing. You can use a cushion, a mat or a towel to be more comfortable. In the event that the cushion is quite thick, it will be advisable to tilt the pelvic area forward, sitting at the end.

The vertebrae must remain in a straight position, supporting the weight of the thorax, neck and head. The legs and arms should remain relaxed but without destabilizing the line of the spine. For example, it is a good idea to drop your arms resting on top of your hips, or simply to leave them hanging. If the position achieved creates tension in any area of ​​the body, it will be necessary to readjust the body position.

5. Basic exercises

We must concentrate our attention on the breath. Listen to it, feel it as it travels through your body... but without thinking about it. Strictly, we must focus on recognizing it and letting it flow through the body. The moment our full attention is immersed in awareness of the breath, we can continue emitting a "mantra": a word or short phrase that, repeated constantly, induces relaxation. It is common to use the sound "ohm", or other formulas such as "I'm fine", "always here", and so on. Depending on where we are, we can emit it out loud or mentally. It will be necessary to create a relaxing image, visualizing a quiet place that produces well-being. It can be both a real and an imaginary site.

We can imagine a staircase whose steps are gradually bringing us closer to that place, slowly counting the steps that we are going through. We can also visualize a candle and play to modify the intensity of its light, or any other image that can help us. These exercises will gradually lead us to the next, and it will take a lot of practice to be able to focus on specific stimuli.

• If you want to delve into the type of basic exercises (and others not so basic) to practice Mindfulness, I recommend that you read: "5 Mindfulness exercises to improve your emotional well-being"

6. Advanced exercises

Having trained the mind to focus on one aspect of mental perception or image, we must exercise it to allow it to empty and we can have a blank mind. It takes a lot of discipline but this is the end point of meditation. You can use the thinking exercises described in the previous point.

It is essential to maintain a neutral attitude towards thoughts or images, don't judge them as good or bad, but simply perceive them, observe them impersonally. During the first few attempts, we may not be able to keep our minds blank for more than a few few seconds, but this is usual and it will be the time that will allow us to achieve a state of meditation deep.

7. Why should we practice Mindfulness?

An investigation published in the journal Journal of Internal Medicine revealed that practicing half an hour of Mindfulness daily alleviates the symptoms of disorders such as depression or anxiety. In addition, they found that centered meditation (derived from the Buddhist practice of concentration in the present and the absence of value judgments) could have positive effects on pain perception. The results were validated even controlling for the placebo effect. The increase in well-being was reported to last up to half a year.

Meditation too reports improvements in memory, ability to concentrate, self-awareness, andemotional intelligence. It is also associated with the optimization of the resources of the immune system, as well as with the improvement in the perception of loneliness in the elderly.

By the way! A few weeks ago we have brought to light the following article that can help you understand much better the psychological benefits of Mindfulness:

• "Mindfulness: know the 8 benefits of mindfulness"

Currently some specific therapies incorporate some principles and techniques of Mindfulness. For example, the MBCT. This therapy has given excellent results, being as effective as antidepressants, and also reducing the risk of recidivism.

Many techniques are used to mitigate the effects or improve quality of life in people with obsessive compulsive disorder (TOC), anxiety disorders, chronic pain, personality disorders, posttraumatic stress, etc.

A different philosophy of life

Beyond the specific techniques used in Mindfulness, there is a philosophy of life based on what is meant by living in the here and now. And it is that despite the fact that some people understand attention simply as something that leaves out information about what happens in the present, from the philosophy of Mindfulness the attention focus is seen as something whose management allows us to free ourselves of situations that block us and make us lose control.

After all, the simple fact that do not fall into rumination and obsessive ideas it is a way of thinking and feeling in a more free and consistent way. There are unpleasant memories and sensations that have the property of returning to our consciousness a time and time again, but knowing how to be in the present is a way to distance yourself from this kind of experiences.

Mindfulness courses

If you are interested in getting started in the practice of Mindfulness, there are different specialized centers that offer you the opportunity to integrate the Mindfulness capacity in your personal life with the Mindfulness Training Program (M-PBI).

These workshops are intended for those who are interested in improving their quality of life. You can experiment with different techniques that will help you connect with yourself, reduce stress, achieve emotional balance and improve your attention and concentration. Also, in some of these workshops you will have the opportunity to attend a retreat day in which you can benefit from an intensive session to put into practice everything you have learned. All this, from the hand of a team of professionals with extensive experience in Mindfulness training.

This workshop is of an experiential nature and the methodology has been designed so that you can take advantage of the content in the best way, with short integrated practices, so that you can apply the exercises in any activity of your daily life. The groups are reduced to favor participation in the different dynamics that are proposed and, in addition, the app has been created Mindfulness Focus Now so that you can take advantage of the use of its audio-practices at any time or place from your own smartphone. In short, with this training you will improve your communication skills and active listening, your emotional intelligence and, in general, your well-being.

Bibliographic references:

• Brantley, J. (2007). Calm anxiety Discover how mindfulness and compassion can free you from fear and anguish. Ed. Oniro.
• Didonna F. (2011). Mindfulness Clinical Manual. Desclée de Brouwer.
• Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Mindfulness in everyday life. Wherever you go there you are. Paidos.
• Siegel, D. (2010). Brain and mindfulness. Paidos.
• Williams, J.M., Segal, Z., Kabat-Zinn, J. (2007). Overcome depression. Discover the power of mindfulness practices. Ed. Paidós.