Mindfulness

What is Mindfulness?

“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

The first thing most of us notice when we pay attention to our thoughts is that our minds are all over the place!  Most of our thoughts are ruminating about the past or planning for the future and we miss out on the only moment we truly have to be alive in: the present.

Mindfulness helps us build our muscle of awareness and allows us to come back to the moment we’re in; just as it is, with kindness and curiousity.

Mindfulness is not about pushing away difficult thoughts, emotions, or people in our lives.  With regular practise, it allows us to see our habitual patterns of thoughts and reactions, and to see that we have a choice in how we respond, both to ourselves and other people.  This can be of enormous benefit in managing stress and increasing our sense of well-being and positively impacting our relationships.

Elements of Health Centre Clinical Director Stephanie Curran leads a variety of classes and presentations on mindfulness in the community. Stephanie has been practicing meditation for over 20 years, attends week-long silent retreats annually, and has completed intensive training to become a qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) facilitator with the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School. Read more…