A guest post by Jhilmil Breckenridge

The unquiet mind
Can you be with this one breath,
This moment, this now?
—Paul Salmon

Mindfulness is defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts, as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.” This rests on the simple idea that sorrow or distress is caused by not living in the moment, or feeling bad about past events, or wanting to be younger, thinner; simply wanting things other than as they are right now. This practice is also deeply rooted in the Buddhist practice of vipassana meditation, which cultivates concentration and mindfulness, saying that mindfulness is the sensitive one, noticing, understanding, leading you to wisdom. Mindfulness simply is the art of noticing, observing, witnessing, without categorising or judging.

Mindfulness is also used as an important tool in CBT, cognitive behavioural therapy, which helps you to become aware of your state before you decide how to react to the situation. This strategy is key in managing emotional wellbeing particularly if you are anxiety prone of suffer from depression,bipolar or other issues. If you can just watch your mood from afar and act in a rational manner- you will seldom be overwhelmed with anxiety, guilt and grief. You will become your own physician, knowing what you need to do to get back to a more balanced state, whether that be though more sleep, exercise, food, cutting time on social media, seeing a friend, and so on. We know our bodies best and our bodies give us signals every now and then. All we need to do is pause, listen to what our body is trying to say and incorporate it into our lives.

Everyone of us has suffered from crippling anxiety, a fear of the unknown and the future and depression post pregnancy or after a stressful event. I, too, have had my share of helplessness, anxiety and inability to get out of the bed every morning. After doing a ton of research and spending time with various therapists and healers, one realises that accepting the current state no matter how chaotic it might seem is very crucial. I have to say that the single most important tool in my own journey towards wellbeing was this trust in mindfulness and awareness, and I use it all the time. I am able to see the elevated states of a higher mood approaching in my breath, in my mind, the restlessness, and I just step back; in my case, using rest and sleep, and limit social interaction. But for everyone, their tools and remedies will vary. The important thing to do is to start watching, start observing, and watch the magic unfold.

Here are some easy ways to start your journey towards mindfulness:
¥ Join a yoga and meditation class
Yoga, if done right, will help you tune into your breath. And that is where it all begins.
¥ Concentrate
Learn to concentrate. Even if it is for a few seconds at a time. Follow your breath in, follow your breath out. Let your mind concentrate only on the breath. Do not think of work, or life, your girlfriend, your problems, etc. And see how long you can extend this concentration.
¥ Watch the body
If you have ever been in a “good” yoga class, and God knows these are hard to find, at the beginning or the end, the teacher may lead you through a practice, naming all the body parts as you relax them. This simple practice leads you to mindfulness. You can try this by yourself as well, just being aware, or scanning your body, top to bottom, bottom to top, your awareness on the different parts, observing. As your mind wanders, simply come back to the watching, without judging, and without beating yourself up.

The most vital thing I learned in vipassana is that everything is temporary, all thoughts, all sensations, everything is temporary, so why fret about anything? And the second very useful thought was the awareness of the fact that in every breath we are born again, and in every breath we die. Mindfulness often seems like a buzzword these days, just as wellness is. But it is truly a liberating tool, and one that will reduce or even eliminate your dependence on drugs, medication, alcohol and more. So, go on, just breathe. Savour that square of dark chocolate, make the most of your time with loved ones and lastly, lie still in ‘Shavasana’.

About the Author-
Jhilmil Breckenridge is a poet, writer and activist who speaks out about mental health, incarceration and abuse. Her poems often worry about issues of feeling lost in a changing world, the immigrant or foreign experience, love and loss and longing, and nostalgia for times gone by. She is also a trained yoga teacher, trained in the Bihar School of Yoga’s hatha yoga therapies, as well as a teacher of Pranic Healing. She loves the Bihar School of Yoga’s yoga nidra meditation and Osho’s dynamic meditation, but there are so many others she practices. When she is not writing, she is chasing clouds and rainbows with her iPhone.
jhilmilbreckenridge@gmail.com
Tweets @jhilmilspirit

This post was originally published for Patients Engage
You can view the feature here- http://www.patientsengage.com/healthy-living/using-mindfulness-awareness-tool-towards-wellbeing