Mindfulness in a Nutshell

In a nutshell, Mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness. It means being fully

awake and experiencing any given moment of your life here and now. Bringing our

fullest attention into anything is Mindfulness and all of us have the capacity to be Mindful. It involves cultivating our ability to pay attention in present moment experiences and sustaining that attention without judgement.

Mindfulness in Yoga class begins with the formal practice of "Mindfulness of Breathing"

to draw your attention inwards temporarily withdrawing from the outside world. This technique is called Pratyahara or sense withdrawal and is the first step towards giving your undivided attention to yourself. It alerts you to the way you feel mentally, emotionally and then physically as you practice a full range of spinal movements

and postures.

By the end of practice you experience a state of open clarity the Tibetans call Rigpa.

This heightened awareness slows us down and keeps us safe, particularly when practising physical Yoga. It also has a soothing and calming effect on the mind.

Mindfulness reveals the essence of situations allowing us to think about things in an expansive way. Ultimately, the endless loop of small and persistent thoughts can become lost in a more open mind, thereby disabling them so they won’t intrude on us quite as much.

On a more down to earth level, studies have revealed that Mindfulness

boosts the immune system, improves memory and lowers blood pressure.

It can manage depression and anxiety and may reduce the need for medication

and it has no harmful side-effects.

"The idea has come to me that what I want now to do is to saturate every atom.

I mean to eliminate all waste, all deadness, to give the moment whole sensation,

the voice of the sea." Virginia Woolf

"And the power of a new born moment is shining round you."

Sally Oldfield

"What we strive to be is as important as who we are AT THE MOMENT." Dr Michael Newton