MINDFULNESS & MENTAL HEALTH
WHAT DO YOU SEE, HEAR, FEEL, SMELL?
Now that it’s officially autumn, we may begin to notice changes in the air - no longer as humid, now drier, crisper. The leaves are not a lustrous forest green as they were in mid-July. They now seem flaccid and crunchy. However, these limp leaves are preparing for their final act - a bright spectacle of reds, yellows, and oranges! Perhaps you live in the desert like I do and are bidding farewell to the monsoon rains and thanking the life-giving water for greenifying our beautiful desert.
Perhaps you haven’t noticed any seasonal changes yet because life has got you on the move with never ending to-do lists and obligations. Perhaps you are ignoring these changes because you want to live in an endless summer. Wherever you are and whatever attachments you’ve formulated to the changing seasons, know that there is an undeniable shift happening all around you.
I invite you to notice these changes in the coming seasons. Stop what you’re doing every so often and simply look out of the window in your office or kitchen. While you’re sitting at a traffic light, get out of your head and distinguish the detail that surrounds you. Avoid attaching any feelings through your karmic lenses and simply notice what it looks like. It is not good. It is not bad. It is.
Notice your surroundings, your environment, the plants, the sky, the water flowing. In congested city streets, check out the brickwork, the facade of each building, the different color doors, the angle of the street, the shoes hanging on a power line. Avoid making up a story about what you are seeing and simply look at the color, the shape, the lines. Breathe.
This is mindfulness. Researchers have defined mindfulness as “awareness of one’s moment-to-moment experience nonjudgementallly and with acceptance.” And yes, it is as simple as it sounds, yet we have trouble practicing mindfulness because of all of the external and internal distractions that flood our brains. It takes some practice, especially the part of not attaching stories or perceptions to what we are currently witnessing.
Mindfulness is considered a type of meditation practice and it has “been theoretically and empirically associated with psychological well-being.” This is why I want to call attention to this practice. I wanted to provide you with another tool you can use to support your mental well-being in addition to physical exercise and yoga.
If you feel like intrusive thoughts prevent you from being mindful of your surroundings and need something to focus on - focus on your breathing while you perceive your surroundings. Remember the breathe - prana - is energy, vitality, strength and now it is your tool to practice being mindful. Be well.
