Before I started practicing mindfulness,
I was always in three.
That so many people would tell me that mindfulness changed their life.
And I thought,
How can something as simple as sitting quietly and paying attention to your breath for a few minutes each day really make a difference?
But this is how it works.
When you're meditating.
You'll notice that your mind wanders.
So,
You're meditating?
And you're focusing on following your breath.
And then,
The next moment,
You're distracted by thoughts.
Planning dinner,
Replaying a conversation,
Worrying about tomorrow,
Or,
My favorite,
Making a mental to-do list.
And then something important happens.
You notice.
You realize,
Ah,
I was distracted.
Her mind wandered off.
And sometimes you can be well and truly caught in a story.
And you don't notice for quite a few minutes that you were distracted.
As sometimes you notice after just a few seconds.
And this noticing?
And then gently bringing your attention back to the center.
To your breath.
This is mindfulness meditation.
Realizing that the mind has wandered away.
Is the meditation.
It's the awareness muscle that we're training.
Again and again.
And every time you notice that you've become lost in thought,
And then return to your breath.
You're strengthening that awareness.
You're learning to catch yourself.
Being carried away from the present moment by thoughts.
And this is where it becomes interesting.
Because this skill,
This learning to catch ourselves when we get caught up in thoughts,
When you practice this regularly.
It starts to show up in your daily life.
It means that you become aware that you're mindlessly scrolling on your phone.
It means that you become aware that you're worrying about things that are out of your control.
It means that you can pause before you finish the whole packet of biscuits without really tasting them.
And then make a conscious decision to stop.
Or finish the pack and really enjoy it.
Catching yourself when you're caught up in thinking on automatic pilot can give you a choice.
Can change your life for the better.
Perhaps your child does something that pushes your buttons.
Or maybe your partner says something that really irritates you.
Or maybe a friend hasn't replied to your message and then your mind starts creating these stories about what it may mean.
Before mindfulness,
I would react automatically,
Without thinking,
Or get swept away by these stories.
Without even realizing it.
But learning to catch my thoughts and pause.
Woke me up.
And by doing this,
We start noticing,
Ah,
This is just the food.
Maybe she's had a busy day and she needs some space.
Or what is my irritation really about.
And am I just taking it out on someone who perhaps doesn't deserve it?
And I should just take a pause.
And in that small moment of awareness.
Something powerful happens.
Because a gap appears.
A gap between your thought and the reaction.
A gap between the trigger And then.
.
.
What you choose to do next.
And that gap may only be a few seconds long.
But those few seconds can change everything.
And this is why mindfulness changes lives.
And how it has changed my life.
Not because it stops thoughts from appearing.
And not because it makes life perfect.
But because it helps you.
To see what's happening more clearly.
It helps you to wake up from this habit of being pulled around by every thought that enters your mind.
And the more you practice this returning to your breath,
During meditation and whenever you get distracted.
The easier it becomes to return to awareness,
To the present moment in your everyday life.
And that is how mindfulness can change your life.
And if you want to practice this,
Have a look at my meditations on Insight Timer.
They're a great way to start your meditation and mindfulness practice.
Thank you for watching or listening.
And I hope that mindfulness will change your life.
