Getting Started

mindfulness basics

Understanding Mindfulness

When it comes to getting started with mindfulness, the most important thing is to actually understand what it means. Mindfulness simply means awareness. It is also a practice where you intentionally pay attention to the present moment while putting aside your programmed biases. This allows you to break free from old patterns that no longer serve you and open up to the possibilities of life.

So, why might paying attention to our present moment experience be helpful? A growing amount of mindfulness research points to healing effects for stress, anxiety, depression, addictive behaviors, trauma relief, and an increased openness to joy, gratitude and a number of other happiness factors.

Watch Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), give his 5 minute explanation of Mindfulness

What do people who practice mindfulness do differently?


7things

The benefits of meditation are many, enjoy this one-minute animation showing you how meditation works.

While the instructions for how to meditate can be simple, starting a practice isn’t easy. Here’s a good overview of 5 Excuses Not to Meditate and then 5 Reasons to Give it a Try.

meditate

Now try a practice: Here’s a simple one-minute practice to get you started.

basic meditation

Where do you go from here?
Please check out our Offerings at The Center for Mindful Living to see what’s right for you