Mindfulness meditation is when we pay full attention to our body, the surroundings and focus on the moment. In this type of meditation you learn to become more aware of your body as well as of our thoughts and feelings. Think for a moment about how aware you are of your body as you go about your daily business. Become aware of the different sensations you have:
Mindfulness meditation encourages us to be more engaged with the relationship that exists between our mind and our body and of how our thoughts and emotions affect us physically.
The full awareness of our movements and sensations, our actions, emotions and thoughts is referred to as “mindfulness”. It is the process of placing the mind firmly in the present and keeping it totally absorbed in the task that is being performed. Sometime you hear this referred to as Zen.
Think children at play. Children run and play and have fun in the moment. A child at play is not pondering their financial future while kicking a ball. They are not reminiscing about a lost game of connect four while hanging from the monkey bars. They are just playing, in the moment. Aware of their feet in the grass and the dirt on their knees.
Like that child at play example, mindfulness meditation doesn’t have to be something you sit still and do once a day for 20 minutes. You can practice mindfulness anytime and anywhere by just engaging in the moment. Take notice of everything around you and focus on staying in the present. Single task and enjoy what you are doing.