Balance November 2017 - 16

m e ntal w ellbe i n g

The

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LIVING LIFE

ALMOST THERE

GIVE IT TIME

Well, you are definitely a
human being, and not just
a human doing. You feel
alive and see life in full
colour. It's likely you
savour even the smallest
of experiences in your day,
every day, and witness with
clarity and compassion
your own human struggles
and those of others, be they
family, friends or strangers.

You're likely to be aware
that you are much happier
when you find time to
meditate, and yet life takes
over and before you know
it, it's been days or weeks
since you last did. You
may even be mystified
about why you don't
make more time for the
things that you know
really support you. It's
possible you notice difficult
thoughts and feelings,
and quite often make use
of the skills you've learned
through mindfulness
meditation in managing
your experience.

You're likely to have
had some experience of
mindfulness, perhaps
through an introductory
session at work or a
mindfulness app, but
you've not had quite enough
practice to really notice the
benefits. Maybe, once in a
blue moon, you attempt to
see if meditation works for
you, and you occasionally
remember to notice your
body when you're walking
and to really taste the food
when you're eating.

Try

You may already be familiar
with Vietnamese peace
activist Thich Nhat Hanh's
writings. If you are, you
may like to be reminded
of his suggestions that
you should 'walk as if you
are kissing the Earth with
your feet' and 'smile,
breathe and go slowly'.

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STOP AND SEE
Clearly, you are busy.
That may even be an
understatement. You grab
lunch at your desk (if you
get the chance), work long
days and play hard at the
weekends. You've heard of
mindfulness - who hasn't?
Worries don't tend to run

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Try

Think about whether you
prioritise time for doing,
but not being. Grab your
diary and schedule in a
pocket of time each day
to sit and just breathe.

Try

Consider how curious
you feel about what
mindfulness might have
to offer if you really
committed to it. If you're
tempted to give it a go,
sign up for an online
course or find one that's
local to you. Check out
bemindful.org.uk.

FIND
YOUR
BALANCE
EXPLORING
MINDFULNESS
PRACTICAL FOCUS
If you're sitting reading on your
commute, take your attention
away from the page and focus
on your feet. Explore what you
can sense in your feet and skin,
and also if there's a tingling or
fuzzing within your feet.
For the next minute, focus
on your breath. Stay with your
breath for a full inhalation and
exhalation. Each time you find
yourself waiting for anything,
pause and notice your breathing.
When you continue your
journey, focus your attention
for a stretch of your commute
on the sensations of your body
walking. Think about the feeling
of your feet lifting up and then
touching the ground, then turn
your attention to your legs and
the rest of your body.

ADDRESS THE MOMENT
If a worrying thought starts
to circle in your head, gently
acknowledge the thought and
then move your focus back to
your breath.
Professor Mark Williams and Dr
Danny Penman's Mindfulness: A
Practical Guide to Finding Peace
in a Frantic World is an excellent
grounding in mindfulness and
mindful practices. Material
from this classic is available
online, through their app or by
buying their book and CD.

THE FUTURE
you in circles - you move
too fast for them - but
sometimes they disrupt
your sleep. Perhaps you
only really stop when you're
unwell and, even then, you
do your best to keep going.
It might not be that you're
totally uninterested in
mindfulness - maybe you
think you just haven't
got time for sitting down
and doing nothing.

Try

You may be interested
that sitting practising
mindfulness meditation
for a period each day can
actually make you more
efficient during the rest of
the day. Mindfulness can
save you time. Download
the Basics pack from the
Headspace app and give
yourself a free 10-day
beginner's trial.

BA LA N CE November 2017

Alongside clinical trials that
support its many benefits,
there has also been the
spread of 'McMindfulness'
- a commercialisation of
mindfulness by brands that
want to cast themselves in a
positive light.
Will these radical practices
that can alter our capacity
for awareness and the quality
of our everyday lives become
lost as they enter mainstream
society? It seems unlikely
- the roots of this particular
tree have already survived
2,000 years.
http://bemindful.org.uk
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance November 2017
