Mindfulness Training

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a way of life in which you focus on what you are feeling in the moment. The goal is not to analyze or interpret these feelings, it is simply to be aware of them so that you can be in touch with yourself and the world around you. Although there is a close relationship between mindfulness and meditation, there is a distinction: meditation is an activity, while mindfulness is a lifestyle.

Most people would agree that in order to succeed in our personal and professional lives, we have to spend time setting goals, planning our days and weeks, and solving problems. However, these activities can be physically and mentally draining. At HHC Centre, we can show you how mindfulness training can provide you with a much-needed balance and reduce your levels of stress and anxiety.

 

What are the benefits?        

Mindfulness training can benefit anyone – professionals, entrepreneurs, parents, students, athletes, tradesmen and creative people. It can help in many ways, including the following:

• It can lead to a reduction of stress and anxiety
• It can help you attain better work-life balance
• Taking time-outs from the stresses of daily life can improve your ability to make decisions and communicate effectively
• It can help you become more focused on what you want to accomplish
• Less negative thinking will improve your sense of self-esteem, which in turn will result in greater productivity

 

How does it work?

Mindfulness can take a number of different forms. Some of the exercises are best done under the guidance of your mindfulness trainer, others can be practiced at any time. Examples of mindfulness exercises include the following:

• Focused breathing. Your mindfulness trainer will provide a quiet, comfortable environment in which you can sit comfortably. As you breathe, you will be asked to focus on an element of your senses: the feel of your lungs rising and falling as you breathe, or the sensation of your feet on the ground. You will learn how to acknowledge distracting thoughts and then let them pass without judgment.
• Sensory awareness. Food is an element that engages almost all of our senses. This exercise encourages you to focus on a food, such as an apple. You will be asked to focus on the shape and colour, the weight of it in your hand, the crunching sound as you bite it, and how it tastes as you eat it.
• Newness in familiarity. For this exercise, you will look at a familiar object, such as a pen or a notebook, with fresh eyes, and identify one thing about that object that you had not noticed before. The goal of this exercise is to help you increase your awareness of the world.

At first, mindfulness training might be difficult, but as with anything, it will become easier with practice. People who practice mindfulness on a daily basis report lower levels of anxiety, improved sleep, more positive relationships and less depression.