So What Is Mindfulness?

In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn mindfulness is “the awareness that arises when you pay attention to the present moment, on purpose, with kindness, curiosity and non-judgement”.

Sounds simple enough, right? You just need to pay attention, what can be hard about that?

Except paying attention, really paying attention, can be challenging. There are so many things that can distract us. Our phones, social media, work. Even our thoughts can distract us from really being present in the moment.

But the thing is, that moment when you realize you are having a thought? That right there is awareness.

So you notice the distraction. You observe it without holding onto it. No judgements. It’s not good or bad, it just is. And you let it pass and come back to the moment.

A common phrase used is to “Begin again”. Each time you find yourself coming out of the present moment, when that moment of awareness happens, you begin again.

The practice

Starting a mindfulness practice can seem pretty intimidating. Especially if you’ve never meditated before.

Here at The Mindfulness Journey, I get that. When I first started practicing, I knew mindfulness was for me and I STILL struggled with meditating every day.

The thing I love about mindfulness is that it can be done anytime and anywhere. And that’s something that I hope to show you on this journey together.

The best place to start a practice is right where you are at. If that’s meditating for 2 minutes a day – that’s great!

If it’s meditating for longer, hey, that’s great too.

Each moment spent meditating takes you one step further down the path of awareness.

A great place to start is with this FREE challenge. When you sign up you will receive 7 daily emails with different meditations (audio or video) and tasks that will help you to create a practice that is right for you.