Mindfulness: Understanding and Implementing the Practice

Mindfulness is a state of being present and fully engaged in the moment. It is a practice that has gained immense popularity in recent years and is often used as a tool for stress reduction and overall well-being. Despite its growing popularity, many people still have misconceptions about what mindfulness is and how it can be practiced. In this article, we will explore the concept of mindfulness in depth and offer practical tips for incorporating mindfulness into your daily life.


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What is Mindfulness?


Mindfulness is a practice that involves bringing your full attention to the present moment, without judgment. It means paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations as they arise, without getting caught up in them or trying to change them. By doing this, you can increase your awareness of the present moment and develop a more intentional and fulfilling life.

The practice of mindfulness has its roots in ancient Eastern traditions, including Buddhism. However, mindfulness has been adapted and incorporated into many Western approaches to health and wellness. Research has shown that mindfulness can have a positive impact on a variety of health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. It has also been shown to improve focus, increase empathy and compassion, and enhance overall well-being.

Benefits of Mindfulness

There are numerous benefits to practicing mindfulness on a regular basis. Some of the most notable benefits include:

Reduced stress and anxiety: By bringing your focus to the present moment, you can reduce the impact of stress and anxiety on your life.
Improved physical and mental health: Regular mindfulness practice has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
Increased focus and productivity: Mindfulness can help you become more focused and productive by allowing you to stay present and focused on the task at hand.
Improved relationships: Mindfulness can improve communication and increase empathy and compassion, leading to better relationships with others.
How to Incorporate Mindfulness into Your Daily Life

Incorporating mindfulness into your daily life can be as simple or as complex as you like. Here are some practical tips for getting started:
Start with a few minutes a day: Start by setting aside just a few minutes each day for mindfulness practice. This can be as simple as paying attention to your breath, or you can try a guided meditation.
Make mindfulness a habit: Incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine by practicing it at the same time each day. This can help you make mindfulness a habit, rather than something you have to remember to do.
Practice mindfulness in everyday activities: You don't have to set aside special time for mindfulness practice. You can practice mindfulness in everyday activities, such as taking a walk, cooking, or washing the dishes.
Find a mindfulness community: Find a group of people who are interested in mindfulness and practice with them regularly. This can help you stay motivated and committed to the practice.
Conclusion

Mindfulness is a practice that can have a positive impact on your life in numerous ways. From reducing stress and anxiety to improving physical and mental health, mindfulness can help you live a more intentional and fulfilling life. By incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine and making it a habit, you can reap the benefits of this ancient practice.
































Tips for mental wellbeing in 2021

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One of the first tips for helping your mental and physical wellbeing in 2021 is to remember to connect with other people and regardless of physical boundaries, which have been imposed on us in the past year, it is important more than ever in 2021 that we make time to connect with the people who matter most to us even when the restrictions finally end. The people that make us smile the people who make us laugh. Never have more people connected as they did in 2020 through the power of technology. This isn't just a case of socialising, which in itself is positive to our wellbeing, there is a physiological benefit to releasing all the positive neurotransmitters into our system that allow us to feel happier which happens when we interact, whether virtually or in person. All you have to do is look at a grandmothers face who hasn't seen her grandchild when she connects via Face-time or the family who meet up and hug at Christmas after not having had that luxury. A happy mind strengthens our physical health, improves the bodies immune system and generally helps us function more effectively. Always remember that each person you meet is a doorway into another world. Building solid and very social connections in your life can increase your feelings of self-confidence and self-worth.

The second way we have to work on our well-being is by being as active as possible. Remember how good you felt when you were only allowed to go out for a 15-minute walk during the first lockdown? Moving your body is one of the key ways to counter any negative stress hormones by allowing the body to feel rebalanced re-energised and more motivated. Even if you were to have a brisk walk for 10 minutes or 15 minutes a day, you would already be investing in your future health. Your body craves the kind of rebalancing that can only come from getting fresh air and the right amount of oxygen. Moreover, exercise is the ideal way to quieten the mind of racing thoughts, and reactive emotions almost like a physical form of meditation.

The third way to work on your well-being is by committing yourself to keep learning something new. A comfort zone is a cool place but nothing ever grows there. Learn to step out of your comfort zone. You will learn things you never knew that you never knew. Stimulating the brain to do what it does best make connections and evolve is the best way to keep mental health as fit, efficient and as optimal as possible. Your brain thrives off being creative and being able to be inspired which is what allows the mind to feel a sense of purpose and by doing that you reduce your stress and you also become generally more mentally resilient.

Did you know that one of the main ways to be happier in yourself is to be more helpful to other people? When we learn to help other people we naturally allow ourselves to feel happier. It's just the way we are built. Whether it's giving a friend a hand, throwing your weight in behind a cause that matters or just supporting other people in some way who may be in a more disadvantageous position than you, giving is like gold dust for our mental well-being. Make 2021 the year when you go out of your way to Smile More at people you don't even know, offer to support someone who may be in need or just generally to be kinder and more thoughtful. The law of attraction suggests that what you put out you get back and so how important is being happy to you?

The final and most important way to work on your well-being in 2021 is to pay more attention to where you are not where you've been and not where you think you'll be. Learning to be more mindful allows you to be present and therefore be happy right now with what's in front of you. Remember, when you like what you have, you have everything you need. All too often we live in a future that hasn't happened yet which acts as a complete drain on our mental resources. You don't have to run into the future in order to get more. Concentrate on what's right in front of you in terms of the family and friends that matter most, in terms of the breath you take every day and the roof you have over your head. Remind yourself that most of the time when you pay attention to where you are you are safe and you are ok. Next time you go out for a walk remember that every blade of grass has a different shade of green. Ever noticed that before?




Compassion

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Compassion is one of the most interesting attributes of being human. Scientist Richard J Davidson of the University of Wisconsin did a study and found that compassion, or kindness, is a trainable skill. In effect, you can actually teach yourself to be a kinder individual. You can train your children to be kinder. More importantly, the most interesting thing is that when you display compassion not just to yourself but to others, beautiful and positive things automatically start happening in life.
Firstly, when you display compassion, all your levels of positivity go up and you are much less likely to be stressed with life's little niggles and challenges. This means, in turn, you are more able to deal with seemingly difficult people and situations. Additionally, in another interesting study, when you have high levels of compassion for others, not just yourself, ageing actually slows down and you get older slower.
Compassion is more than just creating a kind world, it's such a powerful attribute of humankind that I believe that we are biologically wired to be drawn to the kinds of people who display compassion. Just consider someone like the Dalai llama and a massive crowds that assemble in front of him, Think also about your own relationships where again studies show that when you exhibit these positive qualities you are far more attractive to the opposite sex. In fact, compassion as an attribute in women is one of the most single attractive attributes of any long-standing and nurturing relationship. The wonderful thing about compassion is that when you generate the feeling not just as your part of your internal state but manage to translate it into actions to communicate to the people around you then you are far more likely to enjoy a productive and happy work life. In yet another study carried out in the US as well as in an independent gallop survey which questioned 10 million employees, they found that the employees who are most engaged and happiest at work are those who can say affirmatively "my supervisor or someone at work cares about me as a person" There are several ways you can train yourself to become more compassionate but one of the simplest ways you can begin the process right now is by simply smiling more. Smile at a complete stranger, or a work colleague and notice their reaction. As long as you are sincere and want nothing in return then you might be amazed at how powerful and satisfying this new behaviour feels.
In the exercise below I will guide you into a more structured exercise for generating greater compassion. This is a daily ritual and takes no more than 3 minutes of your time. If you would like to join in then click on the audio exercise below and take that next important step toward being a better version of yourself.


Have a wonderful day,
David



Jedi Mind Power


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In my practice, I come across wonderful people all the time who have unfortunately lost the ability to believe in themselves. Through unconscious coaching, anyone can train their unconscious minds to install new 'software' which can empower self-belief and confidence. You see hypnosis can achieve something quite special once it is fully understood. Our minds create emotions through the 'pictures' we create with our imaginations. Once a person 'sees' themselves failing in a certain situation then the mind obliges by creating the symptoms often associated with failing; fast heartbeat, dizziness, fast breathing. These symptoms are clearly symptomatic of adrenalin release but what is often underestimated is the power of unconscious thought to re-rehearse a different outcome under trance so that the person can access that more resourceful part of their system to experience a process without the same unpleasant physical feelings. Often it is not the fear which is the issue but the feeling of the fear. Someone who is scared of dentists isn't actually scared of dentists, more they are scared of the feeling of being scared. Once this is processed almost any phobia can be reprocessed and eliminated.

Introducing Lorraine. Lorraine approached me recently with an unusual request. She needed to perform a fire and ice walk for charity to raise money for cancer care. Naturally, the anxiety of walking on hot coals and then across broken glass was stimulating her 'panic centre', and the prospect of completing the task was overwhelming. Through a number of hypnotic techniques, Lorraine was quickly able to re-imagine the outcome of the task in hand with a clear sense of inner calm and control and this was how she was able to successfully complete the walk and raise the money for her cause. The power of human determination is referenced through the thoughts we generate and how those thoughts relate to our model of the world. Change the thought you change the emotion; change the emotion and literally, anything becomes possible…..

Here is the link for the event http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/walney/Video-Fire-walking-Walney-mum-braves-the-flames-for-cancer-charity-80b832f2-511a-47ec-b6e9-100b734099e8-ds

…..and Lorraine's recent letter following the event


Hi David,
I hope this finds you well, sorry it’s taken so long to put together! I just wanted to thank you for your considerable achievement in helping me to organise, control & face several huge challenges to enable & empower me to walk over glass & over hot embers!!! The fire walk was 20ft long, the embers were 1,236 degrees Fahrenheit!!! Because of your help I raised £150.00 for Cancer Care!
I know I couldn’t have done this without your hypnosis skills, I was a serious sceptic about hypnosis & how it would work for me, but you convinced me that I could do anything if I put my mind to it!! For this I owe you a considerable debt of gratitude! I really would recommend you & your services to anyone who wants to achieve their unachievable goals. I work with people who have disabilities helping to them to find work, achieve their goals / dreams so it was really refreshing to have someone instil this self-belief in me & help me to rearrange my everyday thinking, from the chaotic to a more organised / compartmentalised way of thinking & that my friend is some feat!!
Very kind regards & all good blessings be with you
Lorraine Buckley xx

To find out more about how hypnosis can help you with any limiting belief, behaviour or emotion, contact us directly through this website or by clicking on the link
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5 Steps To A More Mindful Day

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Mindfulness is evermore accepted in the mainstream as an effective way to balance the mind and body. More and more organisations and businesses are recognising the benefits of training their employees in the art of mindful living. This acceptance isn't altogether altruistic because it has significant benefits for the organisation by making the employee more productive and efficient.

Here at The Cumbria hypnosis hypnotherapy and mindfulness clinic our entire philosophy when it comes to treating any kind of psychological imbalance is teaching our clients how to be mindful whether dealing with negative behaviours, feelings or emotions.

Learning to become more mindful at work especially in the office can create a more effortless experience of the working day.

When you learn to stop and become more mindful in all of your working activity you can step off the hamster wheel, create some space and allow your natural mental processes to flow rather than to come to a grinding halt, which is often associated with frustration and a growing sense of stress.

Step one - Learn to pause at work. Make this pause as purposeful as you possibly can. Before even coming to work choose to start the day in the right way by learning to breathe before even getting out of bed. Frame a purposeful and productive day simply by imagining it being the way you want it to be.

Step two - Make your daily commute to work one which is free from distraction. If you tend to listen to the radio or are constantly aware of your phone then switch both off and instead concentrate on mindful breathing so that you can arrive at your destination feeling clearer and more engaged. Learn more about exercising mindful driving here

Step three - if you tend to walk between meetings, once again switch off your phone so you are not distracted by emails or text messages. Get used to feeling your feet on the floor and the air entering your lungs. Take the opportunity to acknowledge colleagues as you pass them and smile.

Step four - As you find yourself sitting at your desk staring at your computer screen, turn your gaze away from your screen for a moment and focus on something else on your desk maybe even bring in an object which is symbolically significant to you and makes you smile. Now study this object without any great thought. As you stare allow your breathing to become more regulated and rhythmic. If you want to close your eyes just for a few moments then go ahead and do that. Try to recreate the object in your minds eye or in your imagination. Amplify it's quality by changing its brightness and clarity. Play a piece of music in your mind that you associate with this particular object and note is the effect it has on your body and mind. Now bring your awareness back into the moment open your eyes and continue doing whatever you were doing.

Step five - Use any break time during your day to get away from the office. If the weather is kind to you go outside sit on a bench and observe your environment. In effect give yourself a chance to switch off the background stress which naturally builds up without us even being aware. See background stress like the apps on your smartphone. After a while we forget to switch off numerous apps but they are still running in the background draining the battery. Mindfulness teaches you how to switch off the 'apps' and restore full power to the system.

If you find you cannot incorporate all five steps at once, then build up gradually by practising one skill each day until you master it.

Here is what Simon from Kendal said about his experience with his mindfulness training.

"I have a highly pressured role, I had heard about mindfulness on the radio but had never quite understood what it meant. As far as I was concerned it was some new-age fad which only hippies would pursue. I couldn't be more wrong. Thanks to the training David taught me I was able to establish a framework which has allowed me to feel far more in control, happier and balanced."

Please take a look at other blog posts under this particular category for more information.

Be mindful and have a peaceful day.

David Faratian




Exercising Mindfulness While Driving

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So why would you choose to practice mindfulness while driving?

There are numerous reasons why being mindful while driving can be incredibly beneficial to a daily commuter. First of all through being more 'present' while driving and not having your mind elsewhere you can better learn to enhance your focus rather than reduce it. Many road accidents tend to result from people driving without due care and attention because, for one reason or another, their minds are more focused on the day ahead rather than the road ahead. Apart from making driving safer, mindful driving can also ease the stress associated with commuting so that you can arrive at your destination more energised, refreshed and focused, rather than frustrated, irritable and unproductive.

Let's try a short exercise. Next time you are driving try switching off your phone, or at least make sure its silent or placed where it can't distract you. Avoid eating and just for this exercise, as a kind of experiment, switch off any background music or radio so that you can give your full attention to the exercise. Now as a first step, give your full attention to what's going on around you. Notice everything from the cars, trucks, bikes in front to any you can see with the use of your side and rear view mirrors. Notice your speed, if you know intuitively that you are going faster than the limit try slowing down. Remember this is just an experiment to teach your subconscious more mindful living. With me still? Great let's continue….

Back to driving within the speed limit. Too often we are in a hurry to get somewhere even though it's only an illusion born out of our 'go go go' society. You are more likely to reduce stress by driving slower if you know as a rule you may not always honour the code. Moreover you will also be setting a good example to all drivers. Just making this very small change can help you switch out of the normal habitual state of mind, which for most people is part of the subconscious norm which is responsible for more stress in life than we actually need. Next instead of focusing on your radio or background music which actually can make you more mindless than mindful, focus more on your breathing as you drive. Take a deep breath in through your nose and as you exhale, breathe slowly out through your mouth while paying attention to how calm that out breath makes your entire body feel. Repeat this over and over and as with any new habit you will begin to realise that not only is your mind feeling more clear but you are more readily able to concentrate on your driving almost without effort. Instead of getting lost in trains of thought, you can feel more present and aware. At first your mind may try to wander, so simply keep bringing your attention back to your breathing each and every time this happens until it becomes trained to 'behave'.

While driving and as you keep the majority of your attention on your driving, turn a percentage toward your bodily sensations. Scan for any tension and release that tension if you can. Be aware of any feelings of ligament or muscle tension in your head, shoulders, neck, back, torso, hips, legs, calves and feet and simply choose to let those areas go limp loose and relaxed. If you can't then just be aware of whatever comes and accept that awareness. This is what we refer to as mindfulness. Next you can open your attention to your surroundings again. If you approach a red light, try to slow down and see the red light as an opportunity to pause rather than something you should resist. The red light is there to remind you to pause. While you pause take some more mindful breaths maybe focus on the colour of the sky or shape of the clouds or if you are in the UK more likely listen to sound of the rain. With practice you can end up looking forward to the red light instead of dreading it, seeing it as a chance to breathe and refocus.

Even traffic jams can become a mindful experience. Realising that the traffic is already there you can learn through mindfulness to accept not resist. Fighting the traffic, constantly trying to win the lane battle, ultimately makes no difference. Instead let your mindful attitude encourage smiling and again just focusing on the breaths. Use this time to glance at other drivers and mentally wish them well. This may sound an unsual practice, but as you do this you will notice your attitude automatically becoming more friendly toward other drivers. Even when someone cuts you up while driving use the same technique to wish them well and hope they will be happy. You will find that swearing at people or feeling angry has only one outcome to enhance your overall stress and it's too late anyway so just let it go and return your thoughts to your breathing.

Mindfulness can help the journey be far more enjoyable and can make the entire experience on average sixty to eighty percent safer and more focused. As you drive in this mindful way, feeling more present, value your driving and arrive at your destination in a far more positive and balanced frame of mind.

Here at the Cumbria Hypnosis Mindfulness clinic we teach several strategies as well as mindfulness to anyone wishing to overcome any limiting belief, behaviour or emotion. If you would like to learn more then please click here


Wishing you a balanced and positive day

David Faratian (NLP Practitioner and Clinical Hypnotherapist)


Mindfulness the new anti-depressant

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So what exactly is mindfulness? One my client’s from Kendal recently asked me what was the ‘big deal’ about mindfulness? There's a great deal of buzz and interest at the moment about this word, especially in education and conventional medicine. So here it is - In its simplest terms, mindfulness is about being present in the moment while you calmly reflect on your feelings and thoughts and bodily sensations as you experience them in the here and now without forcing them or resisting them in any way. When you can be fully present, without resisting or trying to shy away from your feelings and emotions, then you start to create a space around you which allows you to take hold more effectively of the situations you face and the choices you make. Life is full of challenges, but when we are mindful we are better able to work with our minds and bodies so that we can deal with our life’s anxieties and stresses far more effectively.

Trying to be mindful on a day-to-day basis does require a certain amount of learning and patience, but once you learn to be mindful the new perspective which you can get on your life can be fundamentally life changing. The reason mindfulness is being accepted more and more within conventional medicine is because it is seen as one of the many psychological tools that can be equally if not more effective than embarking on a course of medication as prescribed by most general practitioners. Many of my referrals from GPs are directly related to mindfulness training.

Mindfulness is not new either. With its origins in Buddhism, it has been around for thousands of years, only recently however being accepted by Western health care. The reason I mention it here, is because hypnotherapy, and all the techniques which are utilised here at the Cumbria Hypnosis Clinic have their roots in mindfulness practices. For over a decade now, the mindfulness therapy which I have been using has helped hundreds of people to deal with their everyday stresses, panic attacks, and anxiety disorders, as well as dealing with more general negative behaviours like smoking and gambling.

“Once I learned the self hypnosis techniques (mindfulness techniques) shown to me by David, I have been able to sleep better, I have a much better appetite, and things just don’t get to me as easily” Paul Carter (Penrith, Cumbria)

The great news is that anyone can learn how to become skilful in mindfulness, children, teenagers and adults alike can benefit from this simple yet life changing practice. Although there are many different ways you can develop your ability to be more mindful, the most effective way to become more knowledgeable is by being trained on a one-to-one basis with a trained mindfulness teacher. My experience with mindfulness extends over a period of 10 years. Not only do I use mindfulness within my hypnotherapy clinic with all my clients on a daily basis, but I have also taught children and other practitioners how to use the most cutting edge mindfulness strategies to help overcome any limiting belief or behaviour.

If you would like an opportunity to discuss your mindfulness goals with me then you can contact me directly by clicking on this link.


Have a peaceful day

David Faratian