“Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in what’s actually happening around you. It’s seeing, feeling, and experiencing all that is around you with a sense of kindness and non-judgment.”
– Lynn Koerbel, assistant director of the Oasis Institute for Mindfulness-Based Professional Education and Training.
In an article titled “10 Minutes A Day That Can Change Your Life” in the The Third Metric newspaper by Huff Post in the US it is suggested that a mindfulness walk for a little as 10 minutes everyday can de-stress you from the stress associated with a busy lifestyle of multi-tasking. A mindfulness walk allows people to step outside – change the environment and awaken the senses. Then you can choose to pause, breath, take notice and be present as one walks. The article goes on to say…
“Notice, for example, how the air smells or how it feels when it hits your skin. Take a look at the colours around you – in the leaves of the trees, the grass, or even the brown spots where the grass isn’t growing. Listen to the birds, the cars passing by, to the sounds of your particular environment.”
It is suggested that mindfulness practice can benefit us in several ways:
- gives an appreciation for nature and the environment,
- provides a chance to breathe deeply,
- helps to settle the mind,
- encourages a sense of gratitude for life,
- allows for problem solving moments,
- regulates responses to negative thoughts and feelings,
- teaches to be calm and accepting of both negative and positive sensations,
- suppresses both physical and emotional pain.
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