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Practicing Mindfulness

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What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of mind that focuses on acknowledging what is felt in the present moment, without passing judgement. This involves bringing focus to the present moment, whilst accepting and being present with any thoughts, emotions and physical feelings.

Benefits

Practicing mindfulness may have benefits such as:

  • Feeling better connected with oneself, physically and emotionally
  • A greater emotional awareness of both the self and surrounding individuals
  • An improved understanding of one's emotions and their causes
  • A reduction in stress


Features and practices

Many human brain processes are not consciously attended to and thought about. Mindfulness is a process that involves bringing attention towards these experiences. This can include bringing awareness towards sensory experiences, such as listening to surrounding sounds. Automatic bodily processes, such as breathing, can also be focused on.

Another example of mindfulness is non-judgmentally observing what ones emotions are and how they physically feel in the body. This process can train the mind to become better at noticing feelings and thought patterns that might otherwise have been overlooked, allowing a greater understanding of oneself.


Exercises

It may take multiple attempts to find mindfulness through exercises, however repetition can help. It also helps to understand that mindfulness practices can vary from person to person, depending on which activities an individual feels most present in.

If the exercises listen below don’t work for you, try to take the principles of mindfulness and apply them to an activity you enjoy.

  • 4-7-8 breathing exercise (4s inhale, 7s hold, 8s exhale)
  • Walking meditation: try to stop thinking, instead focus on what it physically feels like to walk. Try to take your attention out of your thoughts and your mind and place it into your body.
  • 5 senses exercise (list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste)
  • Place your attention in a particular part of your body. Once you have done that try to move your attention to different parts of your body.
  • At the end of the day think through the different emotions you felt at different times. How did they physically feel? What prompted them? 

Resources

Mindfulness Apps

  • Headspace meditation (innovative mediation methods)
  • Insight timer (5 million mediators & resources)
  • Smiling Mind (manage stress and anxiety) 

Mindfulness Indonesia 

Mindfulness Retreats 

Mindfulness Websites


Ackerman, C. E. (n.d.). 23 amazing health benefits of mindfulness for the body and brain. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-mindfulness/

Baraz, J., & Alexander, S. (2012). Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness. San Francisco, CA: Random House Publishing Group.

Book Meditation Retreats. (n.d.). Mindfulness Meditation Retreats in Indonesia. https://www.bookmeditationretreats.com/all/s/mindfulness-meditation/d/asia-and-oceania/indonesia

Curtin University. (n.d.). Mindfulness resources. https://students.curtin.edu.au/personal-support/counselling-guidance/workshops/mindfulness/resources/

Mindfulness Indonesia. (n.d.). About mindfulness Indonesia. https://mindfulness.id/en/about/

Taren, A. A., Creswell, J. D, & Gianaros, P. J. (2013). Dispositional mindfulness co-varies with smaller amygdala and caudate volumes in community adults. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064574

The Mindfulness Summit. (n.d.). 31 days of mindfulness. https://themindfulnesssummit.com/31days/

Zidan, F., Grant, J. A., Brown, McHaffie, J. G., & Coghill, R. C. (2012). Mindfulness meditation-related pain relief: Evidence for unique brain mechanisms in the regulation of pain. Neuroscience Letters, 520 (2), 163-173.

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