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Mindfulness has transformed millions of lives all around the world and that has been practiced for thousands and thousands of years! I am a certified mindfulness practitioner and life coach, and that means I already experience and understand the great benefits of a daily mindfulness practice. The technique I will share in this post is one that is very basic, but extremely effective! The reason I share this with you here at In A New Way is because not everybody has been taught the essential values that mindfulness can bring, and I personally believe the world would be a better place if we all had this basic understanding in our arsenals. I am convinced that a simple mindfulness course being placed in our elementary, middle, and high schools across the world has the potential to significantly decrease many negative things including bullying, depression, anxiety, suicidal tenancies, and unhealthy lifestyle choices, which are the cause of many diseases oppressing mankind today. A New Way of understanding and applying mindfulness has already created a transformation in my life, I believe it can for you too!
To get started let's take a moment to pause and consider what being mindful is.... Just by pausing and reflecting, you're already being mindful! Thankfully, mindfulness is not a hard state of mind to reach. By focusing on and recognizing our thought patterns, then consciously directing them, we are being mindful! A daily mindfulness practice is a good idea for anyone, no matter what events are going on in the world or in an individual's life. Let's be clear though, does a person need to know how to "meditate" first? The answer is you do NOT need to know meditation before getting to know mindfulness. Mindfulness is already something that we do naturally! In fact, we all are mindful at different times throughout every day of our lives! All that mindfulness is at it's most basic form is being focused on where your thoughts are. This is also what you could call being "conscious" of our thought patterns.
When we do something we've never done before, or go through an experience we haven't ever encountered before, the subconscious responds as if it were going through the most similar experience to the present new one that we've already encountered. This role that the subconscious plays, reacting to new situations by comparing them with the most relatable past experience, means that your consciousness has to take control in order to successfully create new pathways in your reactions and responses. To do something you have never done before, you have to do it consciously. Neuroscience has now discovered that the way a brain learns new habits is by a process called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity shows that the synapses firing in your brain have a pattern, and so does the way that neurons (brain cells) interact with one another. When the neurons communicate with each other over and over in the same way, then they naturally continue that communication in that same way, because your brain has made the connections already. That means that everything happening to your body that requires a neural communication in your brain can be made into habit simply through repetition. The habits that you have are all there because of a simple process of neuroplasticity that occurred and continued to repeat, anytime from the moment you were born until the moment you are reading this! With this understanding, we know that through repetition and mindfulness you can catch your brain programming your neurons to move in one direction, and with your conscious intention, focus, and practice, you can rewire your own brain to respond in a new way.
By learning about neuroplasticity, we can gain a new understanding of how to form new habits and get them rooted in our brains. Let's take this a step further. Mindfulness is easy to understand relating to our brains and thoughts, but what about emotions? Are thoughts the only things that can cause our neurons to behave a certain way? If this were so, then thinking positive thoughts exclusively would result in a more positive thought pattern AND a more positive emotional experience. At In A New Way, we believe that there are some benefits that could come from a simple and diligent practice of thinking more positively, with consciousness to back it up so as to program our thought patterns to be more positive. Here is the dilemma, though... there is much more potential energy that we are working with than just the power of our thoughts. The energy contained in our emotions is so powerful that it has literally started wars, brought people to making the decision to give their life up for a cause, and it has created world-changing movements.
Our emotional reactions are often associated with our hearts. One mind blowing fact is that the human heart actually has over 40,000 neuron-like cells called sensory neurites. These sensory neurites behave similar to the neurons in your brain with neuroplasticity. They actually create patterns that can influence you the same way that your neurons can, holding and storing memory, and branching out on new pathways to form new habits. It has also been discovered that the heart reacts to situations and information outside of our bodies even faster than the brain does. If you are curious for more information on this listen to "destiny & fate" on the OIC Podcast! What does that all mean in relation to mindfulness? We believe that this means we can choose consciously what emotional as well as mental processes and habits are subconsciously downloaded into our brains and hearts. That is why mindfulness is effective at gaining emotional intelligence as well as relieving mental and emotional trauma, along with a long list of other benefits. You intentionally choose to order your brain and heart to work IN A NEW WAY!
In order to learn mindfulness all you need to do to get started is to realize this; We already know how to be mindful! When you take the advice most of us are given by our parents to "Think before you act", you are already being mindful. You can choose to pause and think of how you will respond to any situation, instead of reacting. We usually react without thinking in times of intense emotional feeling, when we are in danger or adrenaline has kicked in, or when responding emotionally to a thought or experience we are having. Step back and simply take a breath, calmly and slowly, in... and out. This is the one breath that could change your life forever, especially if you do it often. While you take that step back and a deep breath, focus more on being aware of what you are thinking and feeling. If there are any negative thoughts or feelings that you don't believe you want to manifest, or think that you would regret later on, then without judgement, do your best to switch the neuron and sensory neurite connections in your brain and heart. Tell your cells to go A New Way. When you do this enough, those cells will be programmed in your subconsciousness. More and more you will find yourself practicing this very simple but life changing "step back and take a breath" method. Just like anything else that we do, reforming and training ourselves to be new in any way simply takes practice. The practice of taking one conscious breath could be powerful enough to bring your inner world into a much clearer, more mindful expression. This is only the beginning basics of all the information there is to share on mindfulness. We want to see your skills and help with your practice as well! You are invited contact us at In A New Way to talk about the amazing benefits of mindfulness practices!
To learn more about the mentality, physiology, and spirituality of mindfulness, check out the mindfulness series on YouTube! Find that series HERE
