Tuning In To Yourself

A chaotic, stressed world may have found a new buzz word, ‘mindfulness’. But humankind must really first understand the meaning and dimensions of the word before we can reap the tremendous benefits of it on our physical, intellectual, emotional and social lives. The dictionary meaning of mindfulness is succinct- ‘a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment while calmingly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily reactions’.

My own favourite definition of mindfulness is by Taryn Taomay:

‘Tune In To Yourself’

Instead of making mindfulness sound something exotic and mystical, let us take a few examples of how a mindful person operates.

Say in a office meeting, the body movements of a mindful person will be relaxed and he/ she will carefully listen to a colleague instead of pre thinking the rejoinder. A mindful parent will not scream at the child instead will work out possible solutions. A mindful person knows how to disconnect when stressed- disconnect with the stress, with your phone and with the very stressful situation. Be it a work situation, a family gathering, a traffic light, a vacation, the ability to be ‘in the moment’ is mindfulness. You are not drifting, distracting, however good or bad the situation- You are there in it. Mindfulness is the ability, condition which teaches you to navigate through anxiety, stress, fear, anger, melancholy, shame, euphoria Et al.

Mindfulness reprogrammes your mind and body to remain balanced in any situation. Of course you’re human and most of us are not saints, so its not that nothing shakes a mindful person but the balance of the mind helps to maintain calm in the chaos.

It’s not always easy to reach such a serene disposition much as we want to. The wishes will have to have trails of sweat and determination before you can reach the no sweat zone. Many of our bodies and minds are stuck in pre set modes of thinking and behaviour. A new programming is required. How?

The human body is a beautiful scientific device, it itself provides the answers if we listen to it carefully. Mindfulness trains the mind, brings focus and more clarity in life.

With mindfulness you are living in the moment, and no longer bound by the fears of the past nor the future. They may still come but you are free to explore the present and to embrace yourself with joy and confidence. Your doubts recede, you are more forgiving and open to change. You go from moment to moment and are not plagued by the chains of ‘what if’.

Imagine what this mindful presence can do to what is happening in your life right now!