What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the short term for mindfulness meditation practice. This is a form of self-awareness training adapted from Buddhist mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness is about being aware of what is happening in the present, moment-by -moment, without making judgements about what we notice. Mindfulness meditation practice is a key ingredient in a variety of evidence -based psychotherapies, including Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Why should I practice mindfulness?

Our minds can be focused on things in the past, present or future. We often find ourselves ruminating about things that have already happened or worrying about things that could happen. This can often be distressing.

Mindfulness is a practice which encourages us to attend to the present moment. There is significant evidence that mindfulness practice can help people cope with a wide variety of feeling states such as depression and anxiety, but also physical health conditions including pain and chronic illness.

Why do I need to practise? Can’t I pay attention to the present moment already?.