Print Mindfulness encompasses several fundamental concepts, known as pillars. These pillars can help you practice and develop mindfulness. They are described below:
1. Non-judgment
This is not easy because as humans, we tend to assign value to everything. We compare ourselves to others or to past experiences. Judging comes naturally. However, when you judge, you can no longer observe openly what is happening in the present moment. When you notice your feelings, see if you hold strong opinions that trigger certain emotions. Try to recognize judgments, accept them, and then let them go.
2. Patience
Practicing mindfulness doesn’t yield immediate results; it requires patience. The effects of mindfulness in your brain may only become evident after a few weeks. Allow yourself space to learn and be patient when you encounter impatience. During a mindfulness exercise, take a moment to check if you feel rushed to do it.
3. Endless new beginnings
Mindfulness is about your experience in the present moment, and you can always start over. If you become distracted, notice it, and simply begin again by redirecting your attention. The exercise is not a failure because distractions are part of it! You simply start again!
4. Trust
Having trust in practicing mindfulness is very helpful. You can consciously increase this trust by reading about mindfulness or listening to inspiring individuals. You can also experience trust in yourself by listening to your own voice and trusting your ability to learn mindfulness in your own way.
5. Non-striving
When practicing mindfulness, there’s no need to strive for something because everything you need is already there. This is a challenging paradox because you may be practicing mindfulness to achieve something, such as reducing stress. Try to recognize this and then let it go. When you focus on the future, it becomes impossible to be fully present in the present.
6. Acceptance
Acceptance helps things to be as they are in the present moment. When you find it difficult to accept what is unchangeable, a lot of energy is wasted on resistance. Acceptance is an active attitude where you begin by accepting the situation as it is. When you don’t waste energy on resistance, you can often see more clearly what you need. You can always ask yourself this question: “If I can’t change this, why should I invest energy in it?”
7. Letting go
Letting go is not easy. We want to hold on to pleasant experiences, but sometimes it’s challenging to let go of negative ones. This is where judgment may resurface: “I like this, so I want to keep it,” “I find this unpleasant, so I want to find its cause,” “I find this unpleasant, so I will ignore it.” However, letting go is not about suppressing or ignoring; it’s about allowing something to be without taking action. Challenge yourself to explore thoughts, sensations, sounds, feelings, or events, and then let them go.
8. Gentleness and kindness
Having a friendly attitude towards yourself and your experiences is helpful. Sometimes it helps to imagine that you’re teaching something to a young child, as it’s often easier to be kind to a child than to yourself as an adult. The best approach is with a gentle and friendly attitude. Maybe you have to explain the same thing a hundred times, or you fall into the same pattern a hundred times. You don’t have to blame yourself for that. By practicing a friendly attitude, you slowly develop more compassion for yourself and the people around you.
Sources
- Centrum voor Mindfulness
- Happy with Yoga – Mindfulness Explanation
- Radboud Centrum voor Mindfulness
- Happy with Yoga – Scientifically Proven Benefits of Mindfulness
