Healing With Mindfulness
The mind has proven throughout time that it is the powerhouse of our being. In all the literature on the subject of spirituality, the mind is most often ignored or portrayed in an ill light. One of the reasons for this oversight may be the tendency to use the mind as a source of comfort and solace. A popular saying is, “The body knows the mind thinks.” By viewing the mind as a source of relaxation, many people believe they have eliminated the need for spiritual meditation or prayer. Unfortunately, the mind is one of the most powerful forces in the universe and by controlling the way we think, we can wreak havoc on the world and those around us.
Mindfulness is based on an eight-step process of cognitive restructuring that provides secular, intense mindfulness training for individuals with pain, stress, depression and anxiety. The process helps to develop a sense of awareness of others, to increase empathy and compassion, to cultivate balance and harmony within ourselves and with others, to increase self-awareness, and to reduce stress. Mindfulness trains the mind and helps it become more effective at managing the body, emotions and environment. Mindfulness is at the heart of a new understanding about how we can lead a meaningful life. It empowers us to make healthy choices in our relationships and in how we respond to the challenges we face in every aspect of our lives.
Our thoughts create physical responses in the body. They generate the hormones that cause us to sleep, the chemicals that make us feel tired, the chemicals that send us off to sleep at night, and even the ailments and diseases that result from these physical responses. If we do not pay attention to our thoughts, our reaction to situations will be different from what a person without thoughts would experience. Our body’s reaction to events and circumstances determines the course of our life. This is the premise of all spiritual teachings, including Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga.
Through daily practice of Mindfulness meditation, for instance, we can learn to enter into a state of consciousness where we are simply aware of what is around us. We observe things without judging them or assigning a value to them, being able to drop our judgments at will. For this reason, Mindfulness can be considered the first step toward any path of healing. When we are able to enter into a state of consciousness and observe without judgement or value, negative feelings are simply replaced by a state of calm, acceptance and serenity.
A state of Mindfulness can help to reduce stress and anxiety, to increase flexibility and muscle strength, to improve concentration and memory, and to lower overall blood pressure. When we are mindful of what is around us, we are more alert to danger and less likely to become victims. Our minds are an important part of our bodies, and as such, should be treated with respect and care. Like all parts of the body, our mind’s too need to be nurtured and kept healthy, and Mindfulness can help us do that. In fact, many of the disorders that have plagued humanity for millennia are the results of mental or emotional deficiencies. The practice of Mindfulness has been used to heal the body from the inside out.
When you practice Mindfulness on a daily basis, your mind becomes a powerful healing tool. It can help to reduce illness in your physical body, to ease anxiety and stress, to improve mood and energy levels, and to cultivate tranquility. In the world today, many people suffer from a multitude of ailments including chronic pain, insomnia, depression, fatigue, stress, digestive disorders, migraine headaches, sleep problems and more. By using your mind as a tool, you can break free from negative thoughts, relax and heal your body on the inside out. Mindfulness is truly the ultimate tool for healing.