At Energy Health we understand the importance of simplifying key messages and concepts, so you can use that information, and make real and meaningful progress towards your goals and aspirations each and every day of your life.

Mindfulness is certainly one area that is often misunderstood and confused with a number of similar approaches.
Today we are going to simplify it for you, and present it in a way that makes sense.

First up, let’s look at what Eckhart Tolle (author of the best selling book ‘The Power of Now’) has to say about mindfulness;
“Mindfulness is being in the present moment without judgement.”

So mindfulness is about being present. It’s also about being in a state of mind, or being – without judgement – when we are being present.
Being present is about being in the moment, and paying attention (noticing) to what is going on around you, and within you.

Listening is a key component of this, so too is the ability to be able to slow down your thoughts and just be with yourself.
Mindfulness is simply about observing your thoughts without judgement.

Is it a form of meditation? It can be. But rather than get caught up in the meaning behind the words, simply understand the importance of the process in becoming more aware of your thoughts and just being with them.

So what does all of that mean, and importantly, how can you bring some mindfulness into your life right now?

The key is to understand the contrast, and the difference, between doing and being.
To quote Dr Wayne Dyer; “Are you a human doing – or are you a human being.”

We spend our lives in the busy pursuit of doing. We are told and programmed by the society we live in, to keep doing, keep working, keep moving, keep consuming, and to keep wanting.
With that focus on doing, is it any wonder that a state of being and mindfulness is so elusive and misunderstood by many of us?

Our value, our status, and our importance, is often centred around our ability and capacity to keep on doing.

Want proof? When was the last time you heard someone of any note in the modern world being referred to as a great meditator, or good at spending time doing nothing or no thing?

Our society does not value ‘being’ anywhere near the value of doing. We live in a physical world of outcomes, of results, of getting things done and working to deadlines. These things are an important and necessary part of living in a modern world, and a part of our everyday lives, so how can we continue living in a modern world and be mindful at the same time?

We simply start paying more attention – we start noticing our lives more.
We create opportunities to be present – we start creating a space for our inner world to slowly but surely announce itself as being real and valuable.

How long do we need to be mindful and to be present?
We simply start at the beginning.
Sometimes even 30 seconds can seem like an eternity, as we draw our attention inwards, and just stay in that moment, and start to get comfortable with the silence.

We can do it on a walk, on a bus, in a park, before, during, or after a meal, in fact we can be present with ourselves (we can do it with others as well, stay tuned for more about that later on) at any time we choose.

The good news? You don’t need permission, a membership to a club, or a special sacred belief system, and you certainly don’t need to wear fancy clothes either to experience the power of the present moment in your own life.

Being with yourself, and allowing and enabling yourself to simply be, is the beginning of a special new relationship that you will start to develop in your life.

That special new relationship is with you.