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Mindfulness

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By Middle Land

August 17, 2020
2:26 pm
Los Angeles, CA

"If you’ve been waiting for an invitation, this calligraphy is it. Commissioned by Facebook, this is a hand-lettered design for a poster. Quote is Facebook mine "

- Massimo Vignelli

Mindfulness originates from the thousands of years old meditation, tradition of Zen Buddhism. During the 1970’s, Mindfulness began to be used in stress-reducing programs in the US, with very good results. In the 2000’s the method arrived in earnest to Scandinavia and intensive research began on its effects. It means simply to train up the ability to live in the present. Much focus is put into training up our attention through breathing. Much of our stress today is caused by our reworking things that happened yesterday or things that maybe will happen tomorrow. We are constantly on the go and often loose what is happening here and now. Research has shown many positive effects of mindfulness: Reduced stress Reduced pain Reduced depression / anxiety Increased attention span Stronger immune

It means simply to train up the ability to live in the present. Much focus is put into training up our attention through breathing. Much of our stress today is caused by our reworking things that happened yesterday or things that maybe will happen tomorrow. We are constantly on the go and often loose what is happening here and now.

Research has shown many positive effects of mindfulness:

Reduced stress
Reduced pain
Reduced depression / anxiety
Increased attention span
Stronger immune system
Improved sleep
Improved quality of life

Research has also shown that the diligent practitioner may achieve a measurable shift in brain activity from the part of the brain that registers anxiety, fear, sadness, anger and stress to the part that registers happiness, peace and wellbeing.

Mindfulness training is for those who want to get more out of life and reduce stress. All people want to feel good and get praise, but if the effort leads to chronic stress, the limit is reached. Where is your limit? Mindfulness Training – can help you achieve your goals while giving you better quality of life and health. Mindfulness training has for many become a good compass to navigate with in life. It can help you steer clear of the worst obstacles by following your true nature / the Flow. With the flow of life, we mean – a universal energy that is the essence of everything and controls everything.

When you knowingly come into contact with the flow of life, you feel like a fish in water. Mindfulness Training gets the body and mind working in sync to make it easier to go with the flow, where you can achieve more with less effort.

Mindfulness is about living in the moment – in the here and now you can achieve the peace of mind and balance that is essential to get into the “flow”. In this timeless moment, you have perfect peace of mind, undisturbed by the stressful thoughts, which require time to be thought out. There you are simply preoccupied with what you are doing from one moment to the next.

With mindfulness, you learn to pause to get a foothold in reality – the here and now and concentrate quietly on what is offered.

There are courses offered and many books written about what stress is and how you can relax. It’s good to hear that you should slow down, do one thing at a time, stopping now and then, get yourself more leisure time, go to a spa, eat healthier, sleep more, stay in physical shape and possibly buy yourself a dog. Most of us are controlled by an internal autopilot that responds to stress factors out of habit. In what way does this autopilot control you? Have you considered that? To worry about what will possibly happen in the future, thinking about the past can cause an unnecessary stress spiral. It makes you lose focus on what you are supposed to do here and now. With Mindfulness Training, you learn how to halt the downward spiral.

Mindfulness is a process of awareness that helps you turn off the power switch on the autopilot and take on things in a stress-reducing way. By observing yourself, you achieve more self-awareness and realistic self-reliance. Mindfulness helps you become more aware of yourself and your choices and help you find your own inner compass that you can navigate with. You develop a balance between body and soul but also between your personal life and your work life. You will learn to use your energy wisely and charge your battery while you work.

With mindfulness, you start to gradually do more with less stress. With mindfulness, you learn to harmonize your rational, analytical mind with your intuitive heart. A sign that you consciously use mindfulness is that you don´t try to fight with windmills, but try to win without fighting – you choose your battles carefully.

Personally, I imagine my life as I was sitting in a small canoe on a large river. I can not do much about the major events in life – birth, sickness and death-but I can try to paddle away from the worst of the currents and obstacles. Mindfulness gives you a greater surplus because you do not waste energy on unnecessary stress. In addition, you increase your quality of life because everything you do with attention / mindfulness increases in quality.

The method does not compete with other methods that are focused on increasing the quality of life. On the contrary,mindfulness weaves them together into a harmonious whole. Mindfulness does not collide with religious, cultural or political beliefs. It is never wrong to be aware and attentive. However, the lack of attention can have disastrous consequences..

Mindfulness can be your best life-insurance. However, it requires an effort and a willingness to exercise – if you’re surfing, you also need to practice.

If you want to have more information I recommend you to read more at www.scat.no and read professor Andries J, Kroeses books and share his experiences.

by: Pernilla Gäverth