What Is the Definition of Mindfulness?
What exactly is mindfulness? What are some mindful examples?
Well, the term “mindful” has three different definitions.
1. Official Mindfulness Definition By The NHS And Yoga International
According to former Oxford Mindfulness Centre director Professor Mark Williams, mindfulness is about “reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience,” which means “waking up to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the present moment.”
As a result, mindfulness, according to Yoga International, can be defined as an informal practice of present-moment awareness that can be applied to any waking situation. In other words, it is a method of being actively aware of what you are doing while doing it.
2. What Exactly Is Mindfulness? A Scientific Interpretation
What is being mindful? Mindfulness, as defined by Davis and Hayes of Pennsylvania State University, is a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. The authors above also cite other colleagues who have conducted mindfulness research and have similar but differing definitions of mindfulness, viewing it as:
- “A psychological state in which attention remains quiet and limber, without attachment to any particular point of view”
- “A psychological state of awareness, a practice that promotes this awareness, a mode of information processing, and a personality trait.”
3. What Exactly Is Mindfulness? A Basic Definition
Living in the present moment is what mindfulness entails. Essentially, it means being (intentionally) more aware and awake to each moment, as well as fully engaged in what is going on around you – with acceptance and without judgment.
Furthermore, the Cambridge Dictionary defines mindfulness as “the practice of being aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment in order to create a feeling of calm.”
Mindful Examples That Are Common And Simple
- Being mindful of your breath is one example of mindfulness. Recognizing the changes in your abdominal area as your body adapts to the inflow of air with each inhale and exhalation.
- Another mindful examples is paying attention to what you’re eating. Fully experiencing and paying attention to its temperature, crunchiness, or flavor, rather than the people eating alongside you, your smartphone, or your television.
- Paying attention to how you feel while walking is also synonymous with being full. Are you carrying a backpack that makes your back feel heavy and possibly hurt? Are you in a hurry and your heart rate is higher than it would be if you were walking calmly? Is the street quiet or noisy, empty or congested? Another mindful examples
- Mindful examples can be found in every action you take if you make an effort to be aware of your body, emotions, and surroundings.
Mindfulness Has Many Advantages – Benefit of Being Mindful
1. Sleep is Improved by Mindfulness.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that mindfulness helped older adults with sleep problems improve their sleep quality in the short term.
Furthermore, another study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) improves sleep quality in people with breast and prostate cancer, while another found that teenagers with a history of substance abuse and sleep complaints improved their sleep as well. Sleeping itself has it’s own benefit, you can learn the benefit of sleeping here.
2. Mindfulness Makes Maintaining Your Weight Easier
According to one study, obese women who practiced mindfulness while eating were able to maintain their weight. Furthermore, when people are mindful of what they are eating, they appear to have less of a sense of struggle in controlling the food they consume.
3. Mindfulness Makes It Easier to Keep Negative Thoughts at Bay.
A study of college students’ daily waking movement-based behaviors discovered that movement with mindfulness in mind had less momentary negative effect and suggested that incorporating mindfulness into daily movement may lead to better overall health benefits.
4. Mindfulness Can Help You Manage Chronic Panic
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a complementary therapy that combines mindfulness meditation and yoga. According to studies, it significantly reduces patients’ pain, anxiety, and ability to perform daily activities with greater comfort.
5. Stress is Reduced by Practicing Mindfulness
Living in an urban area without feeling stressed is difficult in today’s society. According to a meta-analysis of studies conducted by Goyal et al., it becomes easier to control stress and feel well by better controlling our mind and body (2014). Another study published in the journal Health Psychology found that mindfulness reduced cortisol levels (the most “famous” stress hormone) in the human body.
6. Mindfulness Has a Beneficial Effect on Attention.
A quick 10 minute meditation improves the allocation of attentional resources, according to a study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Furthermore, the state of the art of this study demonstrated work from other researchers discovering that long periods of meditation are linked to a higher state of attention. Elliott et al. (2014), for example, stated that a weeklong intensive meditation retreat had the potential to improve both executive attention and alertness.
7. Mindfulness Improves Emotional Intelligence
Because the core of mindfulness practice is being aware of one’s feelings and emotions, mindfulness naturally comes with a greater perception of one’s emotions and the ability to use them more wisely.
Conclusion
Being mindful has numerous advantages for us, as evidenced by the seven examples listed above. May this article inspire you to be a better version of yourself and others by simply being mindful and practicing mindful examples.
