What is Mindfulness?



Mindfulness is a practice that teaches us how to use the power of our awareness to pay attention to what is arising within and outside of ourselves in the present moment. Rather than one filled with habitual reactivity, mindfulness trains us to pay attention to our immediate experience in a way that is genuinely accepting and non-judgmental.


To stay close with our immediate experience and bathe it with the lens of clear-seeing. In this way, mindfulness is an inner resource anyone can learn to cultivate as awareness and the power of choice is something that we have within us.




Present Moment Awareness





With a focus on cultivating present moment awareness, living in the here and now sounds simple. However, learning to stay with our present moment experience can be very challenging for most of us.


This is because if we really dropped our distractions and paid attention to how we are really feeling, we might find that the present moment is often filled with a backdrop of restlessness, worry and anticipation.


This is completely human, as the natural tendency of the human mind is to worry, ruminate, plan and browse through the archives of the distant past and the unforeseeable future.


While these functions of the mind can certainly be helpful at times, they can often deplete us and cause us to feel increasingly stress and dis-content if we living in a state of constant worry, rumination and anticipation.



“Mindfulness meditation doesn't change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart's capacity to accept life as it is."
- Sylvia Boorstein



Why Learn Mindfulness?





Almost all of our mental and emotional pain stems from the way we relate to our thoughts and emotions in any given moment.


At times, it can seem like there are a thousand different thoughts or voices vying for our attention. The sensations in our bodies may also bring about a deep sense of claustrophobia, fear and uncertainty.


The human tendency is to prioritize relief in these moments. We quickly conclude that how we are feeling is problematic and jump into problem solving with a desire to get rid and change our immediate experience.


Mindfulness invites us to tend to these experiences in a radically different way: Don't be too quick to cast these experiences out as unwanted visitors and and negative thoughts...


Slow down, connect, feel. Learn to tolerate the distress and bear witness to what is arising within and around you with curiousity. Perhaps there is some wisdom buried within the discomfort.


Mindfulness is not a quick fix and it will not solve all your problems, but it can certainly help you to relate to yourself with more awareness and acceptance.



Mindful Living On and Off the Cushion





While formal practices like sitting meditations are essential in helping us cultivate mindfulness; mindfulness is not confined to a strict sitting practice - it is a way of Being, a way of Life.


On and off the cushion, mindfulness is a quality of awareness that we can bring into each moment regardless of whether our eyes are closed or when we are engaged in the world. Our entire lives becomes the playground for us to be in this fresh and embodied way.




Learn how to Cultivate Mindfulness Today


Get in Touch

The Inner Connection |
Inner Work for Outer Change


natalieylc@gmail.com
Copyright 2016 ©