Again from my personal website: Here is a small post of the nature of mindfulness. You can see the full article What is Mindfulness here.
Mindfulness meditation has been practiced by many different contemplative traditions for centuries. Its ability to shed insight into perception beyond the senses is well known in these traditions. However, only recently has the Western world, and science in particular, picked up on the role that mind plays in how we view ourselves and the world around us. Because most people are extremely busy these days, being aware of your thoughts and emotions in every moment is not simple. We can get caught up in our daily activities easily, sometimes going on autopilot for hours. Our mind can carry us from one idea to the next, without being truly aware of this process or even the individual thoughts themselves. We can get carried away with memories of the past and projections into the future. Have you ever experienced a train of thought that goes something like this: Remember that pizza from my New York holiday…oh but the seats were very uncomfortable …seats…I need a new chair…chairs…pool chairs…oh my god when I am going to get the pool cleaned…I never have enough time to myself. Does that seem familiar? You can go from having a memory of a lovely holiday to getting stressed by some unfinished work within seconds, and more importantly without even noticing each individual thought.
