This post is intended to facilitate a conceptual starting point for everyone reading this blog. All of us have experienced what it means to be mindfully aware and, as you read through these descriptions, reflect on when you might have had such experiences. It may have been when you had a particularly joyous moment with someone you care about, you were listening to a piece of music or saw a piece of art that resonated with you, or strolling through a park. Those are times when it is natural to be wholly immersed in what’s happening. In general though, becoming more aware of each present moment takes practice. By setting the intention to be mindful in more moments of your life, you are starting a journey towards having more moments of truly living in the only time you have -RIGHT NOW. Here is a whiteboard sketch of some of the Mindfulness Introduction concepts which we typically introduce in the Emotion Regulation group we offer through work.
Mindfulness is a way of describing paying attention to what happens as it is happening, in the present moment.
We mindfully notice what is happening in the present moment by paying attention in particular ways. The ways in which we pay attention to things arising in the present are called the mindful attitudes.
Examples of the mindful attitudes include being curious and accepting of whatever arises, being compassionate with oneself, letting things go when they distract from the particular focus of attention at any point, and being non-judgmental of what arises. We will do a separate series on the Mindful Attitudes, as they relate to working with horses.
Part of noticing things mindfully is to notice likeable and unlikeable things in exactly the same way. For example, if one intends to pay attention to body sensations mindfully, then the physical sensations of relaxation and the physical sensations of tension or pain are noticed in exactly the same way.
Mindfulness is about sensing and feeling, not thinking. For example, when noticing breathing mindfully, one feels the breath sensations rather than thinking about them. This is easier to understand with practice.
When first starting to practice mindful awareness, one practices by focusing on one specific thing, such as on sights or sounds in a room, breathing sensations, or physical sensations. Noticing how that thing changes from one moment to the next, and returning focus back to this noticing when the mind wanders is the beginning of mindfulness practice.
A simple way to bring focus back into the present is by noticing how it feels to breathe in and out.
Noticing one of the five senses can also anchor you into noticing or staying aware of the present moment. Ask yourself: What am I seeing right now? What am I hearing? What am I tasting? What am I smelling? What can I feel through touch?
Mindfulness practice helps us switch into a different way of paying attention more easily in various situations. The more we practice exercises throughout the day, the more natural it will feel to remain mindfully aware at other times. We have an opportunity to pause, consider our internal experiences, and then take action. In this way, we respond rather than react.
Regular mindfulness practice has been associated with positive changes in the ability to pay attention, working memory and the degree to which positive emotions are felt. It also helps with reducing burnout and helps to reduce one’s perceptions of stress.
From personal experience, having a regular mindfulness practice has positively impacted the quality of our relationships with our horses. We observe things we hadn’t before, we are more tuned into the nonverbal communication from our horses, and we are able to respond. Remember when we practice being mindful, then we can respond rather than react.
In this picture above, a person and her horse are walking together. Notice all of the things on the person’s mind, versus the things on the horse’s mind. This doesn’t mean that the horse isn’t capable of noticing other things; in fact, a horse often has an expanded awareness, including awareness of his or her surroundings. When we say that horses are being MINDFUL, we mean that they are able to target attention on a specific focus in the present moment and truly sense what it happening right now. In contrast, people tend to have their MINDS FULL. There are usually so many things going on mentally that a person tends to be “body here, mind elsewhere”. Even the idea of focusing entirely on the present moment for a few minutes can be daunting. Intending to be fully focused on one thing in each moment, and bringing the mind back to that focus when it wanders is how we practice being more aware of the present. It becomes more than a way of paying attention, it becomes a way of life. That lets us start to feel Mindful rather than Mind Full.