What is Mindfulness?

 

Mindfulness is the practice of deliberately paying attention to the present moment.  Rather than letting our minds wander to the future or reflect on things from the past.  Meditation allows us to remain focussed on the here and now and the stillness of the moment.  Its roots lie in Ancient Buddhism and it allows better control of our thinking and can encourage a feeling of immense peace and tranquillity. 

 

There is an element of cognitive behavioural therapy within the programme.  The aim of the programme is to increase awareness of our thoughts, so that we can respond to situations with choice rather than react automatically to thoughts or events.  Through focussing on the here and now we begin to recognise our thoughts as they come in and learn to treat them as just that …. a thought.

 

How will meditation help me?

 

Meditation can benefit anybody through encouraging better awareness of thinking patterns and offering a tool to help us let go of distressing and unhelpful thoughts.  It is particularly effective in the treatment of anxiety, stress and depressive disorders as people with those illnesses find it particularly difficult to switch off the negative thoughts and often find they are unable to concentrate or fall asleep at night because of their busy minds.  Mindfulness will help participants learn to focus on the here and now, letting go of distressing thoughts and provide a feeling of being back in control again.