Mindfulness is the art of being in the present moment.
Human mind is a double-edged sword. It can be a magnificent tool for innovation, creativity, and playfulness. But it can also be a factory of unnecessary negativity that shows up as worry, regret, anger or fear etc.
For evolutionary reasons, human mind wanders all the time. This wandering seems to be its default mode. This uncontrollable drift away from the present moment into the past or the future can waste time and precious energy. This indiscriminate wandering is not only inefficient, it is detrimental to our well-being. It often creates unnecessary rumination, worry, anxiety and stress.
The good news is that we can train this ‘monkey mind’ of ours to become increasingly aware of the present moment. We do that by using our breath or our body or any element of our environment or the mind itself as an anchor of our attention at any moment. This, on-purpose, non-judgmental practice to pay attention to and become fully aware of a chosen anchor is commonly referred to as mindful practice. Cumulative mindful practice has been known to alter activations and neural connections in human brain. These altered states of mind are associated with reduced stress, enhanced attentional focus and improved emotional regulation. In these states, we can discover expanded space for creativity, productivity and experiencing joy in life.
In simple words, practicing mindfulness is akin to going to a ‘mind gym’ to improve our mental and psychological well-being habits to live a richer life.