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Life is available only in the present moment

Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness is a word that you hear commonly these days. It’s everywhere!

Mindfulness has its roots in the ancient traditions of Buddhism. But today, what does mindfulness really mean and why is it such a powerful technique for mental health and well-being?

What is mindfulness?

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Mindfulness is being aware of what’s happening in the present moment. Put simply, it is being in the here and now.

To unpack what is happening when we are mindful, we are paying attention to what’s happening inside and outside of ourselves in real time. We are paying attention to our inner thoughts, our emotions, sensations in our bodies and our experience of our external surroundings. We can be mindful when we are sitting still, standing, lying down or moving.

When we can live more in the moment, we feel lighter, we have more ease, live more fully and enjoy life. As the famous Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh says, "Life is only available in the present moment."

On the other hand, we all know the opposite experience too - when we are not mindful or ‘mind-less’. When this happens, we can get ‘stuck’ in our heads, caught in constant thinking or feel overwhelmed. Over-thinking happens to all of us at times. But when we are stuck in our heads for a prolonged period of time, we can feel like we are not present to our lives and loose a sense of joy and happiness.

It sounds pretty simple, but like anything mindfulness improves with practice.

Benefits of practicing mindfulness

Mindfulness research over the past decades has shown how mindfulness can improve mental health and well-being.

Thousands of scientific studies show the positive health and well-being impacts of mindfulness. "Mindfulness has been found to positively affect a wide range of outcomes across health, wellbeing, performance and relationships.”* We feel better physically, emotionally and psychologically.

Some of the known health benefits include:

improves attention and focus
helps to regulate our emotions
reduces anxiety, stress and depression
reduces pain, fatigue and sleeplessness
improves immune system functioning
enhances the executive functioning of the brain (eg: memory, making decisions, processing information)
enhances self-awareness and self compassion
brings a greater sense of balance and happiness

Mindfulness is now regarded as an 'evidence-based' practice for better mental and physical health. This means that the science shows it is effective in improving health and well-being. Meditation, for example, is now recommended by some 80% of doctors as part of their patient's treatment**

* Reconnection: Meeting the Climate Crisis Inside Out

** CBHS Health

How does mindfulness improve health and well-being?

To understand how mindfulness improves health and well-being, we need to look at what is happening physiologically in our bodies, our nervous system, and our brain when we are mindful.

Scientists have made significant advances in their understanding of our nervous system and the pathways between the body and brain, notably the work of Stephen W Porges and Sue Carter.* Scientists have found that when we are mindful and in the present moment, we are in a biological state of safety, calm and connectedness to self and others. This state is known as the ventral vagal state of the parasympathetic nervous system.

When this state of the nervous system is active, it is much better for our bodies and our health. We are in a state of balance. Our physiological state is relaxed and the body and mind are working under optimal conditions. Our heart rate is slower, our breathing rate is slower, our blood pressure lowers and other biological processes can function at their best.

By contrast, when move out of this ventral vagal state of our nervous system, states of dysregulation are activated. There are two main states, commonly known as the fight/flight state or the shutdown state. These dysregulated states profoundly impact on our physiology and stress our bodies and minds. They are mammalian, adaptive states that our bodies instinctively adopt to survive threats in the environment and keep us safe.

In these states, we are more likely to experience intense emotions, ruminating thoughts and a reduced ability to connect with ourselves and others. If we get stuck in these dysregulated states for prolonged periods, this can lead to a spiral of negative thinking or emotions, impacting on our actions and behaviours.

By practicing mindfulness, we become more aware of what is happening in our minds and bodies in the moment. Mindfulness allows us to more clearly observe what is arising in our thoughts, our emotions and our bodies and our surroundings.

When we recognise what is happening in our mind and body, we begin the subtle but important step of becoming the observer of our states rather than being so caught up in them. With mindfulness, we befriend any activation that is present in the moment and allow it to move through us rather than trying to get rid of it. We are more able to interrupt more unhelpful thought patterns and develop more flexible and creative responses to challenges.

Mindfulness enables us to return to the present moment rather than being stuck in states of dysregulation. When we do this, our body, brain and nervous system returns to a state of safety, calm and connection, providing the optimal conditions for our organs and bodily systems to operate without stress. This better for us and our bodies. And we feel better physically, psychologically and emotionally.

* Stephen W Porges is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University and Founding Director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. Sue Carter is an internationally recognised expert in behavioural neuroendocrinology.