A simple Google search for Mindfulness tells you that it is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. The question is how?
Andy Puddicombe has a wonderful app called Headspace, and in one of his small introductory video, he compares thoughts and feelings to cars on a busy road and how it unsettles you when you chase them. This is when your mind “wanders” away.
Well, I like to look at these thoughts as rain drops on the windshield of a car. They sure look pretty, but they hinder your vision of the world behind them. Now imagine you turn those wipers on, and wipe your windshields — doesn’t the world look more beautiful, clear? I get a similar kind of feeling when I am mindful. I realise that these are just thoughts and I don’t have to worry about them — the truth might be much more different, so I wipe those raindrops to a more delightful view of reality.
You’ll have millions of thoughts sitting inside your mind. These thoughts would have all kinds of feelings attached to them, some of them would make you feel happy, and some would make you feel sad. But the real idea is, that you look at them, acknowledge them, smile at them — and then let them pass. That’s being mindful. You’ll find a place of calm when you do that.
Your Mind — The Wanderer
The wandering of your mind is a natural thing. The mind connects thoughts to more thoughts, that is exactly how we get ideas, but this does not work very well for us, most of the time. The human mind is imaginative, but we don’t imagine fairy tales all the time. Studies have shown that the human brain perceives imagined objects, and real life objects in similar ways. When you pay heed to a negative thought, your brain would connect it to other related negative thoughts (wandering), which would affect your emotional state in real time, and will leave you sad or unhappy depending upon the feeling related to that thought. And in no time you’ll come to a realisation that you are worried, worried about things that you don’t even know would happen. Worried about all these questions in your head, that you can never truly answer.
Let not the mind control you, thou shalt control the mind.
Of course, it’s easier said than done. You’d be thinking this mindful state sure seems wonderful, but controlling your thoughts ain’t easy.
Practice! Regular Practice, young padawan.
With learning anything new, it is best to start small. Start with 2 minutes of calm every day, at any time of the day, and with assisted practice. There are two great apps that can help you with that, Headspace and Calm. It is best to practice calm when you are alone, by yourself and not disturbed by anyone or anything. One of the problems I face is of being shy of practicing it around people (don’t judge me, it is human nature), so the time that works best for me is early in the morning, or late at night. You can find the time and place that suits you best. Start with just 2 minutes, and then gradually extend it to 4, 6, 10, 20 minutes. 20 minutes of calm every day should do wonders for you — you’ll already be a peaceful saint for me when you reach that state. But regular practice is the key.
You’d be happy, well I am sure you already are happy — in that case, you’ll be Happier. Remember, your state of mind is one of the most important factors in the outcome of your life — and ultimately your happiness.
Update 1
Apple Health in iOS10 has also added tracking for Mindfulness.
At the moment you can track only sessions through an app called Breathe for Apple Watch, which they launched back in June. It is a mindfulness app that helps with anxiety by sending you gentle deep breath reminders throughout the day.
I believe through Apple’s Health API, apps like Headspace, and Calm would also add the option to track Mindfulness sessions in the Health App.
