The practice of Mindfulness or Mindfulness teaches us to be attentive and aware in the present moment without judging it. It allows us to observe the free flow of our thoughts and emotions without clinging to them.
Most of the emotional disturbances or psychological problems arise as a consequence of an unhealthy attachment to our emotions. We do not want to feel what we are feeling and we fight against it so that it disappears. It is difficult for us to understand that the more we fight against something natural, such as the free flow of emotions, the more we will get them to become encrusted increasing our suffering.
Paradoxically, the more we fight to stop suffering, the more we suffer. The more we try to silence the symptom, the louder it speaks to us. It is not about fighting against the symptom but about learning to relate to it in a way healthier and more adaptive in order to accept it.
Mindfulness techniques teach us to accept reality without judging it. This acceptance starts from observing reality, both external and internal, from the position of the observer who allows everything to happen. And this includes observe our emotions without judging them, letting them be.
I have a nephew who is almost 1 year old. We were recently having a family meal and I was able to observe how emotions flowed freely in my nephew. I was able to observe how in the same minute my nephew could go from laughing to crying depending on what was happening in the present moment.
If you took away something dangerous from her hand, she would immediately become sad and cry. If you then put his favorite toy within reach, the sadness would quickly disappear and the joy would return.
I was amazed at the spectacle of seeing how emotions were born, reached a peak and quickly disappeared to make room for the next emotion. A baby is completely anchored in the present moment, does not cling to thoughts or emotions. And thanks to this, their emotions flow naturally without encountering any resistance in their wake..
In Mindfulness, not only is the Acceptance but also the Attention. Many people in the West have the wrong belief that the goal of meditation is to calm the mind and relieve a state of tension, stress or anxiety. If we approach meditative practice with this goal in mind, relief will be momentary but not lasting.
The goal of meditation or Mindfulness is train attention. Through this training we will achieve a transfer from formal practice to our day to day. Sometimes, during the practice, we can feel a state of relaxation and well-being, if this happens we can enjoy it but it should not be the main objective we are looking for. If so, we may find ourselves with the unpleasant surprise of starting to meditate in order to relax and that this never happens..
Attention allows us to be aware of our own thoughts as soon as they appear. Being aware allows us to distance ourselves from our thoughts and not relate to them.
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