What is Mindfulness, it’s a word people are starting to see and be used more frequently. Put simply is the opposite of what we are all very good at doing - it is the art of ‘being’. Instead of running around on automatic pilot, doing several tasks simultaneously with thoughts crashing into your head all the time, Mindfulness is about experiencing the world in the ‘here and now’, focussing on each experience at a time… such as enjoying a cup of tea or savouring a nice meal.
So why is Mindfulness useful? The world today is a very busy place full of people who are struggling to keep up with the constant demands of the modern world. Every day a quarter if a million people miss work because of stress, with 75% of all illnesses thought to be stress-related. Practising mindfulness can give people more insight into their emotions, boost their attention and concentration and improve relationships. It’s proven to help with stress, anxiety, depression and addictive behaviours and even have a positive effect on physical problems like hypertension, heart disease and chronic pain.
The Centre for Complementary Health now provides Mindfulness courses, Jane Morris, Owner, explains her experiences on the course have been very positive.
“I run a busy and I am constantly met with the challenges brought along by both my patients, practitioners and staff members working at the Centre. Having seen the research on mindfulness I signed myself up to the first of our beginner’s courses, alongside other patients and other practitioners. I soon realised that I was every bit as much in need of practicing mindfulness as my patients, as I sat in the staff room one lunch time and found myself trying to eat my lunch whilst writing a letter and also listening to our practice manager Hazel trying to tell me something! My experiences even though I have only been using this practice for a short period of time have all been very positive. My favourite trick at home was to start dusting in one room then get side tracked and go off half way through and start something in another room. Since using this technique I find my ability to concentrate on one thing at a time is much better and I sleep better too. I am also noticing a change of mind set so that I allow myself more time to enjoy simple things in life, rather than dashing on to accomplish the next task, so that in turn feels less stressful. I fully recognise that this is indeed work in progress and that I will have to keep practicing, but I feel the benefits even in this short space of time have been very worthwhile”.
If you are interested in learning more about Mindfulness or attending one of the new courses at the Centre please click here.
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