Mindfulness

growstuff so sorry about your diagnosis and good that mindfulness does help.
Religious faith doesn’t figure in it for me Prentice but think you are right about prayer being similarly beneficial.

Quiet prayer has the same beneficial result.If one is not religious however then sitting in the garden or somewhere such as a peaceful park and closing eyes and clearing the mind then imagining oneself in a pleasant scene will help.

? growstuff

Most mornings I lie on my Shakti mat and fall asleep listening to Paul McKenna's ‘ Sleep’ on utube. After that another relaxation tape comes on ( I don’t know who he is: I might try just listening to him instead and see if that works).I don’t sleep very well at night but that extra hour in the morning sets me up for the day.

I feel mindfulness helps me.
I have done a course and it has helped me with difficult situations, how to relax and cope with my anxieties

I used to go to yoga and mindfulness classes before lockdown. Unfortunately, the teachers I liked have moved on, but I still use some of the techniques. I think they helped me get through lockdown and they're helping now through my cancer diagnosis. I don't get too hung up on the spiritual aspects of it, but concentrate on my senses and the "here and now".

I attend Ruby Wax's online Frazzled Cafe meetings which always include a Mindfulness exercise at the top and tail of each session. Interestingly, I went to the twice monthly larger online meeting yesterday that Ruby chairs herself and one person said they couldn't get into Mindfulness as the last thing they wanted to feel was "Present". So Ruby described it as a feeling of "flow", as being caught up in a present sound, smell, taste or touch that would bring you back into the moment. For example, using your hands in crafting, listening to the birds on a walk etc. I hope this makes sense!

What I like about my meditation app, as the founder (Sam Harris) says, paraphrased Its not just another meditation app. Not just a means of calming down but as a practice that can open the door to insight, explores theory behind the practice, philosophy, neuroscience, ethics. The goal is not to help you become a good meditator but to live a more fulfilling life.
It is really informative.

Very helpful for my anxiety , but having been practicing for about 5 years both mindfulness and meditation
It does takes practice the same as my yoga and tai chi does.

I have always done Yoga & meditation and found it of great benefit but certainly not a quick fix. I miss the classes that I used to attend at the gym but have not felt ready to venture back there post lockdown. henetha I think you are doing what works for you and it obviously does so certainly not rubbish.

I agree that it is something you need to put time aside for regularly.
Just 10 minutes a day can make a difference.
Try sitting comfortably and just being conscious of your breathing and the natural sounds you can hear around you. Think only if what is here and now. Or. maybe image a place you love or an occasion that made you feel relaxed and happy.
Done regularly it will make a difference

Yes, I read about the research into mindfulness in schools, and I cannot say that it surprised me.

Any kind of mental training or technique needs to be specific to the person, and who they are and thinking you can take a class of diverse children and spread a technique over them like jam strikes me as so obviously misguided i am surprised that anyone even considered it.

henetha is so right, we all need to develop methods and techniques that suit us. I have never dwelt on the past, it has happened and nothing can change it, similarly, the future is either unknown or can be changed or not. live with it.

But when I do get stressed I just use the relaxation exercises I earned in ante-natal classes.

I think you are spot on with what you are doing henetha. I find that being part of a regular group supportive because we discuss various techniques which help, and I also use an app which is very explanatory from a neuro science perspective which I would recommend.

My husband really benefited from this. It helped him get through the days in a really pressured work environment.
He did do quite a long course - not just the few minutes that the schools are likely to have offered - and he practiced every day. Now he uses it as a tool as and when needed.
He was definitely better for it.

Farzanah, Meryl and others are right. You have to invest in it. What you put in is what you get out I think.

I've been doing my own version of mindfulness for a couple of years now. Deep breathing definitely helps me to calm down. And trying to live in the moment and concentrate on the task in hand is useful. I no longer wonder if I've forgotten to turn off the gas, whatever, because I concentrate when I do it. I even say it out loud, "I've turned off the gas".
When relaxing, I start with my feet. This is where I am, this is where I am rooted in the here and now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, just here and now. Then gradually relax all my muscles in turn, do steady breathing, and try to think of only one thing. A flower, a vase whatever. Just a few minutes, a few times a week. It then becomes a habit.
I realise that my version of mindfulness is probably rubbish.
But it helps me to deal with stress. It really does. I'm having less attacks of depression these days.

That made me laugh, Pantglas. Maybe I'll give 'The Trout' a go .

I agree Meryl and coincidentally I heard on radio 2 this morning that research had shown that Mindfulness lessons in schools had no benefit as pupils found them boring!

Quelle surprise! Some youngsters need to be constantly entertained with gadgets, games and suchlike suggests they wouldn’t take to it easily.

I remember primary school assembly where we would sing a hymn, mumble a prayer then have to listen to a short piece of classical music (Schubert ‘The Trout’ springs to mind…?) before filing out quietly to class! Methinks it might all have been the mindfulness of its day?

I agree MerylStreep.

It depends what is meant by mindfulness I think. It seems to be over promoted by the “wellness industry”.
I practice meditation, and although I learnt Buddhist meditation initially I am not religious, and am now part of a humanist mindfulness/meditation group.
I find it enormously helpful with stress management, but it’s not just like a six week course in life transformation, it’s a regular exercise in awareness and understanding your mind.

People give up mainly because they want a quick fix ( no offence meant)
It takes a long time to retrain the brain from something it’s been doing for years.
But without a doubt with the work put in it works.

I read about it a lot then went on a course and quite frankly found it a total waste of time. Time that could be have been spent on doing things that actually mattered.