Mindfulness

Mindfulness
Another level is to step back from the way we perceive the world and see if we can turn around and see the situation in a more positive light. Our attitude reflects the way we think about things. As we change the way we think we change our attitude and in turn the way we perceive the world. As we we are able to shift our attitude we also may shift all aspects of our being. The stress level reduces and in turn there is less residual physical inflammation. Our body systems work better and our health, all things being equal may improve.

Mindfulness is a useful tool. It empowers us to control the ‘monkey mind’ that flits from thought to thought. In Self discovery the aim is to be able from time to time to observe the thoughts.  The mind is only a part of our consciousness. The art of mindfulness is to be able from time to time be aware of what the mind is thinking. That is to be ‘aware’ from an other point of view. To do this we need to relax and become quiet, which for many is a challenge, then to ‘notice’ what the mind is thinking.  There is no judgement, we simply observe. 
Usually a person will have pretty average thoughts and this average is the way we see and react to situations around us. In this way our thoughts are creating our experiences and thus our reality.  The art is to shift the ‘unhelpful’ thoughts and reshape them so that they are helpful.  For example to become less judgemental of others, that is to understand they are doing the best they can, given all the background they have. Another example is to become less judgemental of ourself.  To stop ‘beating ourselves up’ and understand that many of our reactions come from past conditioning and the old ‘stories’ that we carry with us. 
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