What do mindfulness and the ocean have in common?

What do mindfulness and the ocean have in common?

What is mindfulness? We hear this term used quite a bit these days. “You should be mindful”, “if you meditate for 10 minutes a day you will be happy”, “You need to be more mindful of X”. Perhaps as important as what mindfulness IS, is to consider what mindfulness is NOT. Mindfulness is not a quick fix, not a panacea or something that involves striving to achieve a certain outcome. Mindfulness does not change who you are or eliminate the unwanted in life.

One of the most oft cited modern definitions of mindfulness comes from Jon Kabat-Zinn, a highly respected American scientist and the first to introduce mindfulness-based stress reduction to western medicine in the 1970s. Jon defines mindfulness as “the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally”. In this sense, mindfulness is a way being – more aware of, in touch with, and in relationship with our lives including the unwanted.

Our daily lives, particularly in North American Society, are often hurried with an almost exclusive focus on doing, striving, and achieving, to the point where one may become somewhat disconnected from themselves, their environment, and the people in their lives. Constant future focus or backward gaze prevents an appreciation of the present moment, also known as “life”. In this regard, cultivating greater capacity for mindfulness presents the opportunity to reduce the noise in our heads that often presents in the form of cycling thoughts, judgements, negative emotions, and perceptions so that we are able to gain clarity, connection, wisdom, and self-compassion.