What is Mindfulness?
My name is Megan Wharton and
as a new volunteer at Axminster Health and Wellbeing Centre I welcomed the
opportunity to experience a taster group session in Mindfulness. This
experience gave me an insight into what the centre has to offer. The group
engaged in two practice exercises which included the body scan and the raisin
test. This allowed me to focus on a particular moment in time however I found
it hard to focus and not let my mind wonder and I feel this may take practice!
Practicing mindfulness allows
us to be fully aware of our surroundings that allow people to enjoy a good
quality of life while attempting to develop a non-judgemental awareness of
their mind and body. When you begin to
practice mindfulness you will be taught to pay attention deliberately and as
best you can try to become more aware of the actions that are taking place at
that moment in time in your mind and body. Everyone has most likely experienced
a difficult or troubling period of time throughout their lifetime and I have learnt
that practising the act of mindfulness helps to lower certain levels of stress
that people may experience in their daily lives as it gives people the opportunity
to compartmentalize their feelings and try to focus on the moments that concern
them immediately instead of being swamped with fears of the future. Mindfulness
is all about becoming more aware of your senses and becoming more involved with
the world around you which may include becoming aware of your thinking,
emotions and even your breath. One of the most important aspects of mindfulness
is to leave all your cares at the door and try your best to focus on the here
and now while remembering that
“Yesterday
is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, Today is a gift”
Yesterday I took part in my
first ‘taste of mindfulness’ I took part in what is known as the raisin test;
First, take a raisin and hold
it in the palm of your hand or between your finger and thumb and focus on it.
Seeing
Take time to really see it;
gaze at the raisin with care and full attention.
Let your eyes explore every
part of it, seeing the contrasts between the dark and light areas
Touching
Turn the raisin over between
your fingers, exploring its texture, maybe with your eyes closed if that enhances
your sense of touch.
Smelling
Holding the raisin beneath
your nose, with each inhalation drink in any smell, aroma, or fragrance that
may arise, noticing as you do this anything interesting that may be happening
in your mouth or stomach.
Placing
Now slowly bring the raisin
up to your lips, noticing how your hand and arm know exactly how and where to
position it. Gently place the object in the mouth, without chewing, noticing
how it gets into the mouth in the first place. Spend a few moments exploring
the sensations of having it in your mouth, exploring it with your tongue.
Tasting
When you are ready, prepare
to chew the raisin, noticing how and where it needs to be for chewing. Then,
very consciously, take one or two bites into it and notice what happens in the
aftermath, experiencing any waves of taste that emanate from it as you continue
chewing. Without swallowing yet, notice the bare sensations of taste and
texture in the mouth and how these may change over time, moment by moment, as well
as any changes in the object itself.
Swallowing
When you feel ready to
swallow the raisin, see if you can first detect the intention to swallow as it
comes up, so that even this is experienced consciously before you actually
swallow the raisin.
Following
Finally, see if you can feel
what is left of the raisin moving down into your stomach, and sense how the body
as a whole is feeling after completing this exercise in mindful eating (Williams
et al, 2007).
Poem
Consider the lilies of the
field
how they grow:
Perfect in poise and balance.
So do wee birdies sing,
in utter exuberance, serene.
So would we sing:
making every moment of every
day
an eternity of worship
and mirthful praise:
Love, Laughter
and radiant similes.
Michael Walton
