An Introduction to Mindfulness and the Benefits it can Bring

Mindfulness is being employed by companies, educations establishments and individuals more and more these days and it is increasingly being used as a great way to solve problems. In this article Sanjit Dhanjal, Head of Sales at Wellness for Life gives you an introduction to Mindfulness and the benefits you could be enjoying from practicing mindfulness techniques.

So the chances are you’ve heard of mindfulness, maybe you’ve even gone one step further and tried to practice it or looked in to it’s role in being able to alleviate stress. Firstly it’s useful to make a clear distinction between Mindfulness and meditation. Whilst meditation can be viewed as one form of mindfulness, there are other forms outside of meditation. Mindfulness to me is the awareness of something and meditation is the awareness of no-thing. In my time working in Wellness and corporate wellness, there has always been some confusion around this, so I wanted to provide some clarification from the outset

What is Mindfulness?

There are varying definitions on mindfulness and rather than just give you other organisations definition of what mindfulness is, rather I thought it would be a good idea to discuss what we at Wellness for Life see mindfulness as. We have worked with many executives, students and sportspeople in the short time we have been around and to us Mindfulness can be summarised as the following:

Mindfulness means trying to stay in the present moment or come back to the present moment when the mind begins to wander. Mindfulness means being aware of what we are doing and where we are in an inquisitive way and learning how to deal with this in a non-judgemental way without over-reacting.

In my experience, being mindful is a gift that each of us already possess but some are just not in tune with the way it works or simply do not have the skills to learn how to access it. One thing is for sure though, if you can learn how to access it and then know what how to deal with it, there truly is no limit to what mindfulness can help us achieve.

The benefits of Mindfulness

The ability to stay present in everything that we do is not an easy task and takes practice. But when we can master it and go beneath the normal internal chatter, it truly is an invigorating experience and helps prevent the mind from wondering. Below are our top benefits of practicing mindfulness:

• Decreased Stress.In recent times stress levels have been high for many of us. The lockdown experienced in many part of the world has meant many individuals have felt uncertain about their careers or family lives. This uncertainty has a negative effect on mental health and practicing mindfulness is a great way to alleviate this stress and be able to stay in the present and not dwell on our problems. This in turn helps to lower our stress levels
• Reduce Depression.Mindfulness for many years now has been proven to be a great cure for reducing depression. One key way is by being able to identify, accept and better regulate our emotions which in turn can reduce depression. Mindfulness can also be used to treat severe depression which can lead to suicide.
• Improved Physical Health.Moving beyond mental health, mindfulness has also been proven to improve physical health. What’s more there has been lots of research on cancer patients on how mindfulness techniques can even cure illness. It can be used to lower blood pressure, lose weight and even reduce anxiety
• Increased flow of natural wisdom.Here’s one benefit of mindfulness that you are unlikely to find anywhere else. This for me is perhaps one of the most important benefits of Mindfulness and the one that has helped me most personally. By practicing mindfulness techniques and learning the ability to stay present we automatically open ourselves up to the natural and untapped wisdom that lies within us. Some people refer to this as instinct whilst others prefer to call it gut feel. Often, many of the decisions I make either personally or professionally, are made after practicing mindfulness or carrying out a meditation. If we are at a crossroads in life, or simply faced with a tough decision, often surrendering this to the universe and asking for guidance will bring you the answers you need. They may not come straight away and what you think may be instinct may actually be something else, however in time you will be able to perfect being able to spot natural wisdom and when you do it will be a very enlightening experience. Natural wisdom and true gut feel is never wrong and so tapping in to this potential can have great significance and benefit to our lives in all areas.
• Increased focus.When we practice mindfulness regularly, we can find that our ability to pay attention and stay focussed for longer periods of time increases. Whether it be a heavy work schedule, a busy exam deadline or a busy week of competitive sports, being mindful will increase our ability in handling the situation.

I personally discovered mindfulness during the lowest time of my life, at first it seemed strange, but after continued persistence and finetuning mindfulness for me it has been the biggest gamechanger in my life. It has provided me with a source of natural wisdom, help me stay focussed at crucial times in my life and taught me to observe my thoughts and carefully distinguish my thoughts from my emotions. To learn more about our Mindfulness courses or to understand in more detail how mindfulness can benefit you feel free to get in touch with me at sanjit@wellnessforlife.com.hk.

Sanjit Dhanjal is the sales director for Wellness for Life and is responsible for ensuring our client experience is effective and valuable.