How much of your circumstance is defined by external factors, and how much of it is defined by how you think and feel about the world around you?
Is your experience of life inevitable and fixed, or is it formed continuously by your perception?
Life coaching answers these questions by suggesting that the capacity for change within your life may be far greater than you think. And that your power to affect this change is not in short supply, but abundance.
We all tend to worry about things sometimes. Our minds can be difficult to control as we find ourselves unwittingly reflecting and ruminating about the past.
If our 'tricky' minds are not busy looking into the past they may be making us feel anxious about things that haven't happened yet by creating worrying scenarios and problems in the future. In times like these, Mindfulness can offer relief by reconnecting you with the present moment.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is paying full attention to the present moment.
It's a specific state of awareness in which you accept the thoughts that move through your mind without becoming carried away by them.
Mindfulness can be reduced down to just 2 steps: focus on the present moment and let go of passing thoughts.
In every-day practice, this could mean:
- While eating, paying attention to the flavour of your meal, your chewing motion, the colour of your food, it's aroma, it's texture.
- Whilst walking home, focusing on the feeling of your feet as they touch the ground, the sound of the rain as it falls, and the sensation it has against your skin
It's often the way that the more powerful a technique, the more complicated it is to learn - this can sometimes be disheartening. This doesn’t apply to Mindfulness, however, which should be a great encouragement for those looking to give it a try.
Benefits Of Mindfulness Practice:
- A higher quality of life and general health
- Lower cases of depression and anxiety
- A better ability to concentrate on tasks
- An improved capacity to deal with everyday stress and challenges
- Increased levels of grey-matter in the brain
“The past has no power over the present moment.”
― Eckhart Tolle
After suffering a life filled with long-periods of depression and anxiety, a 29-year-old Eckhart Tolle, one night in 1977, came to a breaking point.
Awakening from his sleep, Eckhart was met by an unbearable heaviness which seemed to emanate from everything and he began sinking into hopelessness.
This was soon interrupted, however, by an epiphanic change in perception in which he felt only "beingness".
The past and future were replaced by the present, and then the regret of the past and the anxiety of the future were replaced by peace.
Although an epiphany will not be likely or necessary for most of us, Eckhart's story of inner transformation shows the power of mindfulness.