Mindfulness is the art of living in the moment, of being able to switch off from all of the clamours in your brain and being able to focus on the now, the present moment. Practising mindfulness will give you a feeling of calm and serenity, will help you overcome stress and anxiety and can help you achieve goals that you set for yourself.

The benefits of mindfulness are;

• Reduces stress

• Eases anxiety

• Aids depression

• Helps against self-limiting beliefs

• Produces positive thinking

• Helps attain goals

• Aids sleep

• Aids emotional and physical well-being

• Aids concentration and focus.

How to practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is available to us whenever and wherever we want or need it. Practising it on a daily basis will be more beneficial but it is something that you can do as and when you feel the need. Unlike meditation, you don’t need peace and quiet to clear your mind when practising mindfulness.

The object is not to empty your mind of the daily chatter but to be fully present and aware of your thoughts and what is going on around you. You are basically trying to pay attention to the present moment.

As you practice mindfulness, your mind will wander but that is to be expected. You will find other thoughts racing around your head and you will focus on these thoughts.

As you become aware of this though, that is when you will be aware of the magic of mindfulness, of becoming aware of your thoughts and of being able to bring them consciously back to the present moment.

The more that you notice what is happening in your mind and the more that you are able to bring your thoughts back to the present, the more proficient you will become at practising mindfulness and the more benefits you will derive from it.

Mindfulness can be practised anywhere, inside or outside, at any time of the day and in a busy environment or alone. When you are first beginning, a good way to be aware of how you should work is to use the STOP acronym;

• S- Stop or pause and notice how this feels to you.

• T- Take a breath and notice how your breathing feels to you.

• O- Observe the body, feelings, thoughts physical sensations and emotions. What thoughts are going through your mind?

• P- Proceed with more awareness and intention into what you do next.

Mindfulness and Coaching