Hi, and welcome to day two of the course. In this video, I’ll be explaining what mindfulness actually is, and also, how to practice mindful breathing.
So, one of the best definitions of mindfulness is that it is a present moment, non-judgmental awareness.
What this means is, paying attention to what’s going on in the present moment without judging it as good or bad.
So, just observing the present moment, and really experiencing it, without judging it as something good that we want more of, and without judging it as something bad, that we want to get rid of. Just observing.
A great way to think of this is, just being in tune with the present moment.
So for example, if you are watching a beautiful sunset, and just seeing the colors of the sunset, just enjoying it; enjoying the present moment without thinking, “Oh, it should be more red here or more green there.”
When we're really just accepting the present moment as it is, this is mindfulness.
So, we can actually practice mindfulness in any of our senses.
So, we have the traditional five senses: we have seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, and touching.
And, in the Buddhist tradition, they add on a sixth sense, which is the sense of mental phenomena.
And, this is something we can be aware of also.
So, for example, being aware of emotions like sadness, or being aware of thoughts and feelings.
So, any of these six senses are a great arena to practice mindfulness in.
And again, don't worry too much about writing any of this down or memorizing this.
We're going to be going through all of this in the guided meditations.
So, in this video we're also going to talk about how to practice mindful breathing. In mindful breathing, we're tapping into some of the sensations of touch and feelings in the body.
So, for example, as you're breathing in and out just noticing the physical sensations of the in breath and out breath, and just paying attention to those feelings in the body without judging them as good or bad.
This is mindful breathing.
Now, it's one thing to hear a definition, and it's another thing to practice it.
And it's much more important that we actually get to know what mindfulness is from an experiential point of view, rather than a conceptual one.
So, throughout this course, in the guided meditations, I'll be guiding you through how to really tap into what mindfulness is, so that you can really experience mindfulness, rather than just knowing it as a concept.
In the next video, we’ll be doing a mindful breathing practice.
So, when you're ready to get started, go ahead and click on the next video.
Hello, what a lovely workshop this is. May I know how to download the pdf file? There is no option there. 🙂
The Soft belly breathing made my brain feel light. I experienced a wavy movement there.
I almost fell asleep his voice was so soothing
Hi there, your work is amazing. I am doing a project at a university based on mindfulness and would like to use a few of these videos if this is possible? I would be referencing your work too.
Thanks
You can link to these pages, but unfortunately you cannot use the videos separate from these pages. Thank you for asking!
I really like this course so far. Thank you!
Like Jane, I am truly enjoying this workshop, but do not see the download icon to print out the worksheets. Could you provide a bit more assistance. Thank you
Hi Laura – On your desktop computer, please hover over the icons above the worksheet. The 3rd from the last icon is a download button.
Hi. I’m really enjoying this course. I’m wondering how I download the additional worksheets?
Hi Jane. I’m glad you’re enjoying the course! To download the worksheet, please click on the download icon on the top part of the pdf viewer.