Mindfulness

by Brighton-based hypnotherapist Jason Evans

Mindfulness, as commonly understood has its roots in the Buddhist tradition. But in recent years due to increasing interest in the West and some very effective popularisers, it has become accepted in a much wider context than the Buddhist philosophy which incubated it for thousands of years.

Of course there are many religious and cultural traditions aside from Buddhism that feature some sort of meditation. Examples include TM (Transcendental Meditation), various forms of Christian meditation (some of which were rediscovered after being largely forgotten), and practices in South American traditions, to name but a few.

Have you tried mindfulness yourself? Maybe you have heard a lot about it but wondered if you can do it. Don't worry, in essence it is very simple and can be practiced by anyone, irrespective of their religious or cultural beliefs. You don't have to be religious!

A simple Mindfulness Exercise to Try

One of the most tried and tested methods of teaching mindfulness meditation is counting breaths:

1. First make yourself comfortable somewhere quiet to practice
2. Adopt a natural and unhurried pattern of breathing
3. Simply count your breaths, on the outbreath, from one to ten
4. When you reach ten, begin again at one
5. Continue in this way for ten or twenty minutes
6. If you get distracted or lose count, simply begin again at one

Why not try this simple exercise yourself, preferably for at least a couple of weeks, at a regular time every day. You might soon notice a difference!

The beauty of this simple exercise is that you don't need any special equipment to do it. So long as you can breathe and count to ten, you can take it (and do it) anywhere!

Regular meditators find they can very easily access deep states of relaxation, enabling to remain calm and centred whatever difficulties life throws at them. Would you benefit from a calmer approach to life?

Conclusion

We have seen that mindfulness meditation has many benefits and can be done by anyone. You don't have to be Buddhist, or even religious at all! We have described a classic mindfulness meditation you can do yourself, and suggested you try it on a regular basis. Why wait?

Did you know that the many benefits attributed to mindfulness are potentially even more true of hypnotherapy?