What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the act of paying attention, in the present moment, without judgement. Mindfulness is fully attending to what is occurring now. This can be choosing to pay attention to your breath, using all of your senses to eat a meal, or being fully present while listening to a song. While being mindful, if a distraction arises that pulls you away from the present moment, the goal is to notice the distraction and return to the present moment. For example, if you are engaging in mindful breathing and you notice various thoughts arise you will notice that you are having the thoughts and redirect yourself to your breath. Another example, if you are choosing to mindfully listen to a song and a memory arises, you will notice that you are experiencing a memory and redirect yourself to listening to the song. It is ok to notice a multitude of distractions; the important pieces are redirecting yourself back to the present moment and what you have chosen to pay attention to and that you allow any judgmental thoughts to come and go without attaching to them.
