mindfulness

What is mindfulness?

The basis of mindfulness is learning to treat oneself with kindness. As human beings, we long to be accepted for who we are.  Mindfulness is the practice of extending this unconditional friendship to ourselves, through a process of attending to here-and-now experiences with acceptance.  Mindfulness is about coming to feel at home in our own bodies and our minds – even in times of pain and confusion.

Often, when difficult experiences arise, the struggle to avoid or control them actually increases the difficulty.  In a fight to win the battle against “the problem” – be it depression, anxiety, craving, shame or procrastination – we are setting up a situation where we are our own enemy. Unfortunately, in a war against ourselves there is no way to win. Mindfulness is a different strategy.