In today’s busy world multitasking is the order of the day. We drive down to work, attending calls and planning our day. We come back home and eat dinner watching TV, supervising our kids’ homework. In this rush to accomplish various tasks somewhere we are losing out on the delicate connection with the present moment. We are simply not aware of what we are doing and how we are feeling in the moment.
Mindfulness: Awareness of the 'now'
Simply put, mindfulness is just the awareness of whatever is happening ‘right now’. It is the awareness and the non-judgemental acceptance of what simply is. Being present from moment to moment, being with any experience or task completely. So when you eat, you only eat and not think about your meeting ahead. Yet, "You don't have to force yourself to be mindful or focused all the time," says Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. "The need will tell you. If something important is happening, you become alert," he adds.
Benefits of mindfulness
Scientists are now noting and documenting various advantages of mindfulness including improvements in physical and mental health and overall well being.
- Improves physical health – The practice of mindfulness helps alleviate several physical ailments.
- Keeps blood pressure in control
- Helps reduce pain
- Releases stress
- Improves the quality of sleep
- Improves mental health - Mindfulness helps to keep negative emotions like anxiety, stress and depression away and helps boost positivity, enthusiasm and overall state of the mind.
- Improves overall well being – regular practice of mindfulness helps to gain insight into our own feelings and thoughts, have greater clarity in decision making as well as productivity and results in improved creativity, and have more gratitude and spontaneity in life.
Becoming mindful naturally with Yoga
Mindfulness is meditative awareness. It is bringing back attention to one’s own self, from the scenery to the seer. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “The shift from scenery to the seer happens with yoga. It happens with Ujjai breath and meditation. It brings up an ocean of compassion within you. It makes the intellect sharp and attentive. You become more intuitive and aware. You become friendlier and more confident.”
Yoga, pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya and meditation help remove stress and toxins from the body and raise one's awareness. Higher awareness and energy levels naturally bring the mind to the present moment and help improve the quality of our lives.
