Learn to train your mind with Mindfulness

According to the definition of Jon Kabat-Zinn (founder and director of the Mindfulness Centers) this practice It would be “the awareness that arises from paying attention, intentionally, to the present moment and without judge". It is therefore intentional attention with an attitude based on the absence of judgement.

Precisely the non-judgmental attitude, which connects with compassionate curiosity towards oneself, It is one of the most healing aspects of Mindfulness, also called Mindfulness. At this point it is necessary to explain that the attitude of curiosity is incompatible with that of generating a concrete expectation.

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The difference between Mindfulness and relaxation techniques

On occasions, I have met patients in consultation who explain to me their difficulty in trying to relax when they applied relaxation techniques; It is precisely there where the objective of Mindfulness differs, it goes beyond relaxation.

Its goal is to allow us to observe the present moment without expecting anything determined.

, in the absence of demands that usually end up generating guilt. And that is where, curiously, we end up achieving the long-awaited relaxation, which usually comes when it is not forced to come.

• You may be interested in: "6 easy relaxation techniques to combat stress"

How to calm the mind with Mindfulness?

There is research on the role of the practice of Mindfulness in the reduction of a series of symptoms such as chronic pain, anxiety and psoriasis. Dr. Kabat-Zinn has been studying the effects of Mindfulness on these disorders for 20 years and affirms that "participants feel a strong reduction during the 8-week course, both in the number of medical symptoms that were initially reported, and in psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, and hostility. These improvements occur in the majority of par cipants in each class and regardless of diagnosis, which means the program is relevant to people with a wide range of medical conditions and different situations of life".

Psychologists teach to manage stress through Mindfulness; We usually start with attention to the breath, trying to focus on it while we consciously move our attention away from the events of the environment. This is achieved with practice, without haste and with a compassionate attitude towards us. However, each case is unique and you have to know how to adapt to the needs of the users.

What is compassion?

Here I would like to stop and explain the concept "compassion", since too often it is often confused with the pity, almost contemptuous, with which we look at someone. Since the conception of Mindfulness, compassion is understood as the attitude of loving and empathetic observation that will mobilize our acceptance so that, from there, we get the training to come in our resources before the day to day.

With daily practice we will come to have a sense of ourselves as a present awareness that observe our thoughts as something that deserves to be heard but without identifying them with what "I" am.

When we can observe our thoughts from a certain “distance”, because we are much more than those thoughts, then our relationship with them changes. Mindfulness allows us to see our circumstances as observers and, from that privileged point of view, it will be easier to calm down.