Mindfulness is noticing your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in the present moment without judgment while letting go of trying to change the moment.

Noticing thoughts–

Often when we sit quietly and try to focus on our breath, we initially become flooded with thoughts. These thoughts range from running through our to-do lists, to memories from the past, to future worries, to self-criticism. The average brain has about 45 thoughts each minute with 80% being negative and 95% being repetitive. We can’t actually stop our thoughts from happening, but we can learn to allow them to ebb and flow without engaging in their meanings. 

Noticing feelings–

Being mindful gives us space to become aware of current emotions. What we feel is more than what we think we feel. Feelings live in our bodies and they take root in our muscles, joints, organs, fascia, and nervous system. Emotions occur in the body but they come and go. You won’t always feel this way, you don’t have to act on your emotions, and they are not who you are but rather a set of physical sensations.

Noticing physical sensations–

Our bodies hold valuable information about what we are feeling in the current moment, and what we have experienced in the past. Tune into your feelings and then notice what physical sensations arise. This could be a tightening in the chest, increased heart rate, muscle spasm in your calves, or cramps in your stomach. This is the way your body communicates its needs and if you tend to these needs, you can release old holding patterns, stuck energy, and unresolved feelings.

Tune in to your senses and ground your body in each moment to fully inhabit your life.