Mindfulness has become one of the most talked about topics in Western society in recent years as a growing body of research has determined that it is effective as a way of reducing stress, dealing with depression, living a more fulfilling life, improving communication, enriching our experiences and improving performance.
What is Mindfulness? Why should you practice it?
Just as our bodies need to be active to work best, our minds need training also to keep up with the fast pace of modern society. With so many sources of stimulation and technology demanding instant attention and responses, it is easy to get paralysed by choice and find it difficult to sustain attention on a task or experience, with our thoughts and feelings having the power to drag us away from the moment. Mindfulness helps us make each moment count and allows us to experience a richer, more meaningful life.
Mindfulness is a form of mental training that teaches the mind to function more effectively by applying meditation or other methods to bring your attention with a sense of purpose to the present moment in an open, curious and non judgemental way.
Next time you watch a young child, watch the way they interact with the world and observe the natural curiosity that drives them to explore the way the world works as they interact with it and notice the joy that simple things like pouring water bring to their life. This is mindfulness at work.
As adults, we are forever thinking about the next thing that needs to be completed, always doing, rather than just being in the world. It seems a shame that the ability we are all born with often erodes over time leading to a life that is lived with limited awareness and increased stress due to being so caught up in our minds rather than our direct experience.
What is Mindful in May?
Mindful in May is a fabulous fundraising project conceived by Dr Elise Bialylew, coach and wellness innovator who will lead this global meditation challenge and be the mindful guide this May for those involved. She has combined her passion for community, with her professional expertise in the field of psychiatry, coaching and mindfulness to create Mindful in May. She is a mindfulness meditation teacher and coach, having attended retreats and seminars with leaders in the field including legends in the field such as Jon Kabat-Zinn.
The Attuned Psychology Mindful In May Meditation Challenge
As a psychologist who practices mindfulness with my clients and in my own life and work as a singer, I was pleased to come across a blog discussing this initiative. It was great to hear that Dr Elise Bialylew’s experience of 30 days of meditation had such a profound effect on her stress levels, sleep, performance and concentration that she was inspired to do further study and to spread the word about mindfulness. As a passionate supporter of mindfulness I decided that this would be a great team challenge within the practice (Attuned Psychology Mindful in May Meditation Challenge) and that being challenged to complete 10 minutes of daily mindfulness meditation, listen to videos from experts in the field and keep a diary of the effects of this would be a great way of improving and reinforcing our mindfulness skills. I also felt excited about the idea of supporting a fundraiser that would raise money for clean water in third world countries as we learned to clean our minds. I have already started daily body scan meditation and have been enjoying the extra resources provided and I’m looking forward to different meditations in weeks ahead.
We would love you to either sponsor us or join our team and participate with our Friday weekly meditation to give a focus to the challenge and provide support.
10 reasons to practice Mindfulness Meditation and join our team
There is compelling scientific evidence and reports that practicing regular mindfulness meditation will lead to:
- Structural changes in the brain associated with enhanced mental performance
- Reduced stress and it’s negative impact on the body and mind
- Improved physical and mental wellbeing
- Reduced genetic ageing through its protective impact on gene expression and degeneration
- Increased happiness and contentment
- Enhanced immune function
- Greater ability to respond to chronic physical and emotional pain
- An improvement in the processing of information and better concentration
- Less disturbed by and less reactive to unpleasant experiences
- Having more direct contact with the world, rather than living through your thoughts
There is only one way to find out the benefits of meditation, give it a go….
We are challenging you to join us in taking the opportunity to be Mindful in May and believe it will give you the chance to better understand the buzz around Mindfulness and its powerful positive effects on your daily life.
Attuned Psychology Mindful in May Meditation Challenge – Friday lunchtime event
Participate with us by visiting our practice for our weekly community mindfulness meditation starting at 12.30pm or alternatively if you are in your office at work or at home, take 10 minutes of your lunch break to join in the web conference via Ezymeetz, a high quality e conferencing system.
I will be hosting the meditation from Friday May 16th at 12.30-12.40pm and look forward to meeting you in person at 61 Archer Street, North Adelaide or online via the e conferencing service at Ezymeetz. A small donation of your choice will assist with raising money for clean water.
I am also happy to facilitate a reflection on the practice following the meditation for anyone interested in participating from 12.40pm -1.00pm.
The dates to put in your diary are:
- Friday May 16th
- Friday May 23rd (Including a Mindful eating exercise as part of Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea for cancer research)
- Friday May 30th
If you wish to participate, please subscribe to our blog, provide your contact details and we will send you an email inviting you to participate. You will also be able to follow our reflections on the various exercises and insights gained over the month in our blogs.
We look forward to meeting you in May and being mindful with you.
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