On Becoming More Mindful

One of the attitudes of mindfulness is something called beginner’s mind. It’s really about bringing a sense of curiosity to whatever you are doing. As I’m typing this blog, I can bring curiosity to what it feels like for my fingers to touch each key on the keyboard. As I eat my lunch, I can approach it as it is the first time I am eating a chicken sandwich. Bringing curiosity to a task is the quickest way to build new neural pathways in your brain.

Another key component of mindfulness is the idea of becoming a detached observer of yourself. When we can step back and detach from the emotions, urges, physical sensations, we can become more objective. Thereby allowing ourselves to respond in ways that match our values rather than emotional reactivity.

Practicing compassion is another avenue to a more mindful life. Compassion can be described as noticing suffering and desiring to help in some way. When we practice that compassion with ourselves, we are sending our brain the message that we are worth caring about. As we start to respond to our emotions with compassion, we learn that emotions arrive to give us a message. They become less scary. When we are more compassionate to ourselves in this manner, we also become more compassionate towards others and their journeys.

Mindfulness teaches us that nothing is permanent, we are always in a state of change. As we mindfully savor each moment, we recognize that present moment awareness is essential in our understanding that this life we are living is precious.

I hope you’ll join me on the Insight Timer app as I explore all things mindful. Namaste.