Mindfulness
One-to-One

Central to mindfulness, is the cultivation of awareness. Being in touch with our bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts and behaviours gives us enormous power. This awareness gives us insights into our moods, into why we do the things we do and ultimately enables us to make more conscious, and healthier choices about how we live our lives.

If life ever feels like one long task list, like there just isn’t enough time in the day, then this is what it feels like to be stuck in “Driven Doing” Mode. Contrast this with the feeling you have when you’ve been gardening all afternoon or at the end of a long walk when you could just happily sit and stare into the distance for hours. Mindfulness helps us shift from the neural networks associated with “Driven Doing” to “Being” Mode by learning to slow down and re-connect with our bodily sensations.

There are some things that we have the power to change, but so much in life is beyond our control. Radical acceptance is about accepting what is not under your control and embracing what is happening now without wanting things to be different. When you wholeheartedly and radically accept emotional or physical pain, it can significantly reduce the suffering they cause.  

When we feel anxious or overwhelmed, mindfulness also gives us some very practical tools to calm the chaotic mind and soothe our nervous system. By learning to consciously bring our attention to the breath, or to the contact points between our body and the chair or floor, we can “Ground” our attention in our senses. This helps us to step out of anxious thought loops and send “bottom up” messages of safety to our brain and nervous system, helping us to shift from “Fight or Flight” mode to “Rest and Digest.”

The teachings of mindfulness and self-compassion are inseparable. Bringing a warm and friendly quality of awareness to our experience helps to soften what would sometimes be harsh or even painful. When we practice mindfulness, and turn our awareness inwards, self-compassion also helps us to be more gentle and less critical of ourselves. I also offer self-compassion focused meditations for those who wish to explore this area in more detail.

When we feel conflicted, anxious or confused, our default human reaction tends to be to worry, ruminate and generally loop around in our own minds. Often this over-thinking simply adds to our suffering. By learning to connect with the Felt Sense, we can tap into our inner wisdom. Tuning into how things feel in the body enables us to gain new insights, process “stuck” emotions, release stress and make choices that are aligned with our deeper values.