Simply put, mindgulness is the natural state of the human mind today. Stay still for a full minute right now.
What were you thinking? Write them on a paper if it is handy or just recollect it in your mind.
It could be some thoughts about the past or the future. Thoughts control your mind and its working. Thoughts generate out of nowhere and disappear when another thought takes its place. They are mostly driven by instinct unless we become conscious about them.
The word ‘gul’ in colloquial Hindi means lost. So the mind is lost or gul in thoughts about the past or the future most of the time. And this is the most natural state of the mind. Hence there is nothing to feel guilty about this. We need to just be aware of this.
Now just observe two natural breaths of yours.
Deep or shallow. Warm or cold. Smooth or broken. Do not judge. Do not justify. There is no right or wrong way to breath.
Mindfulness is the ability to be present in the moment and openminded. So, it means being aware of your surroundings and more importantly aware of your own feelings and emotions. It also includes being open and non-judgmental about your feelings.
Practicing to be mindful is the act of observing your mind. When we begin to observe the mind, we become aware of the kind of thoughts that we have.
Now observe ten natural breaths of yours.
If you could observe the ten breaths calmly without getting carried away by thoughts of the past or future, without getting distracted by thoughts about something that is happening around you, without feeling bored or hurried or restless, then you don’t need to read any further. But if you found it difficult to stay calm to observe whatever your ten breaths unfolded, then it is normal and you need to practice being mindful.
When we observe the mind, we deal with the thoughts that come and go like an outsider. We see them for what they are. When we realize that this is just another thought, we don’t get entangled in it and that can be very liberating.
Practicing mindfulness by observing your thoughts for a few minutes on a daily basis helps you to be mindful more often. It helps you to be more productive, to balance your work and life better and make your life experiences richer and meaningful.
To get an idea about meditation and mindfulness, you might want to checkout the FREE Five-days Introduction to Meditation and Mindfulness here.
Bell The Mind 