It is astonishing how a simple act can have so much power. You have been hearing this word all around you these but do you know what it means and the power it holds? It is a practice going on for centuries, but only now in this world of too many distractions, we need mindfulness more than ever.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the art of being aware, being present in the moment, and the art of cultivating stillness. When you practice mindfulness you have a sense of calm and stillness. This makes you realize how everything is interconnected and how if you make your mind present, your body follows too.
This is because they are not separate. Our body, mind, soul, spirit all of it is interconnected with each other. It creates a stillness in your mind and gets you in touch with the energy you have inside you. You can then use this positive energy for a lot of things.
However, one thing to remember is that mindfulness is not only closing your eyes, sitting in a certain position and focusing. Mindfulness can be achieved in the most mundane tasks. If you are conscious and acting out of awareness then it is mindfulness.
Importance of Mindfulness
Helps us make conscious choices
Many people say ‘I don’t even know how this happened’. Well, this is because they were simply acting out of unawareness. Most of our lives are spent on auto-pilot where our routine is just eat, sleep, and entertainment.
Our life passes us by and we realize we never actively participated in it. Instead we accepted things given to us and just floated by. However, when you practice mindfulness you do everything with awareness.
All your decisions are conscious choices and you take conscious choices to help make life better for yourself and others.
Transforms your personality
This awareness that you have in a mindfulness state, becomes your personality if you practice it consistently. It shapes your personality for the better and helps you cope with anything life throws at you.
It helps you keep problems at bay and the problems in life don’t hit you with the same intensity anymore. This is because you learn to stay calm in the most intense situations.
Cultivates compassion
Once you realize deeply that everything is connected and that we are all one, you begin to have a sense of compassion for other beings. Research has shown that mindfulness completely changes the activity in the brain.
You become more attuned to the needs of others and you consciously act to help them. Empathy is a beautiful trait and one that this world needs more of. With the power of mindfulness, you can cultivate both compassion and empathy.
Final words
This is not an easy state of being, because of the endless distractions we have on our hands these days. However, when you consciously become mindful and consistently work on it your life will transform. You will realize many things and a lot of things won’t affect you anymore. This is because you will realize you are not your thoughts. You are the awareness behind them. That is the power of mindfulness.