Martin Lumpkin

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an umbrella term for a number of related things. First and foremost, mindfulness is a state of wide awake attention tuned into present experiences. This is different from being lost in thoughts or other distractions from this present moment. We tend to live in a light trance of mental chatter, self commenting, or going over the past or the future.

Additionally, mindfulness is being attentive without judgments. It accepts what you are experiencing rather than futility trying to resist or control it. Ever try to suppress  some emotion or thought? The very action of resisting emotions or thoughts actually strengthens them. Mindfulness simply accepts what is. Yet in an interesting way, this gives one more choices about what to do with emotions or thoughts. Do I go with them or choose to acknowledge them and let them go their own way? Do I choose to feed them (thus growing them) or simply see them and step back?

What are the Benefits of Mindfulness?

Mindfulness greatly increases the quality of one's life. We simply feel our lives more vividly and savor our experiences more fully. For example, we usually eat mindlessly, barely tasting our food, taking in larger and larger gulps to intensify a flavor. Mindful eating goes more slowly and with keen attention on the food's texture, taste, and after-taste. We taste more while needing to eat less. Mindfulness also lowers stress by giving us a way to step more out of stress producing thoughts and reactions. We learn to see our thoughts and emotional reactions as they arise in the moment and choose whether or not to feed them. We find calm by creating spaces or gaps in the stream of constant thinking and fantasizing in which to breathe.

Is Mindfulness some special Altered State or Trance?

No. It is our most natural state when we are awake, alert, relaxed, and open. The problem is that we have replaced this state with our usual default state of constant mental chatter and restlessness. We have learned to live in speed and rush. We are rarely here.

Is Mindfulness Religious?

It is true that mindfulness grew ut of centuries of contemplative practices in Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism.These methods of contemplation have much in common. Yet there is no religious belief tied to mindfulness practices. The purpose of mindfulness is not to generate beliefs but to go beyond beliefs to explore what is really happening in our direct experience, not our explanations of our experience.

Why is Life in the Present so Important?

The simple answer is that it is the only place where life is happening. It is not happening in the memories of the past or the imagined future. Another answer is that mindfulness cuts through life lived too much in our heads. Even pursuing goals is made more effective with mindfulness. I can over focus on the desired goal and miss how I am moving toward it in the present. I can so focus on my golf shot that I miss it or I can hold my goal in the background and "go into the zone" of attending to the feel of my body and swing going on now.

Is there Research that Supports the Effects of Mindfulness?

Yes. Impressive research over 30+ years. This research includes sophicated brain scans showing parts of the brain affected by mindfulness practice and parts of the brain strengthened through mindfulness. Mindfulness effectively helps with a number of stress conditions, including chronic pain, addictions, depression, anxiety, traumas, and others. Mindfulness has become, as a result, one of the top approaches in the field of psychotherapy.

How Do Mindfulness Practices Work?

In stages, usually. First: just knowing mindfulness exists as an aternative to our usual ways of being inattentive. Second, deciding to discover more about mindfulness through exploring some simple practices and seeing what happens. Third, taking on mindfuln attitudes like patience, gentleness toward oneself, and curiousity. Fourth, starting with some simple practice like focusing on the breath and becoming aware of when we lose that focus as we return to the breath over and over again to strengthen the attention muscle. Fifth, remembering to drop into small mindful moments in your day....while doing ordinary things like walking, driving, listening, eating breakfast with full attention. Over time, mindfulness -- because it magnetically attracts us -- grows and expands over time on its own.

How do I deal with problems of motivation to Practice?

Know that your usual mind will resist practice and try to talk you back into your old comfort zones. Also know that motivation itself grows over time. When you relapse and stop practicing, don't make a big deal of it. Don't bring self judgment like "I am just not cut out for this!" take over. Neither make your practice into some grim "should" which can so dampen inspiration. Simply begin again.

So protect your intent to grow more mindful. It is rooted in self-care not self-perfection. Mindfulness is a friend, not a taskmaster. It has a gentle, not harsh and critical, way of meeting your various experiences. And if practice times you set for yourself are too long, try shorter times and gradually increase times as you are ready.