Noida filmmaker Suyash Shrivastava has cultivated a profound fascination with neuroscience and wellness over the years. His journey began with a chance encounter with mindfulness on various podcasts, leading him to delve deeper into its extensive advantages.
Reflecting on his personal experience, he acknowledges that, unbeknownst to him, he had already been practising mindfulness for years. However, it was through his subsequent readings that he consciously embraced its principles, a dedicated practice he has diligently maintained for the past three years.
Shrivastava emphasises the significance of focusing solely on the present moment. Whether he is preparing a nutritious concoction in the morning or indulging in its flavours, he purposefully directs his attention towards its benefits, savouring each sip conscientiously. The effect, he says, is remarkable.
This makes us wonder: what does it truly mean to be mindful? The dictionary meaning of mindfulness is ‘the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something’. The American Psychological Association (APA) Dictionary of Psychology defines it as “awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings.”
Mindfulness is not a recent concept
Its genesis can be traced back to the contemplative traditions of Buddhism, which is now being used in therapeutic interventions to regulate attentiveness. According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, practising mindfulness enables individuals to break free from detrimental or instinctive patterns of behaviour by observing their thoughts, emotions, and current experiences without judgement or immediate reaction.
Watch what you do
An August 2011 review of empirical studies on mindfulness published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review concludes that practising mindfulness enables a person to rise up to the demands of life with ease. These effects ranged from increased subjective well-being, less stress, a calmer mind and lower reactive behaviour.
Sandeep Nath, chief wellness officer, Wellness Seekers Academy, Gurgaon, says using the term ‘mindfulness’ without understanding it may not work. “First, take a hard look at your habits and how you can tweak them for a better lifestyle. By doing this, you automatically start becoming more mindful of what you are doing,” he says.
According to Nath, these habits include:
Sleep: The importance of sleep is often undervalued in today’s lifestyle, which deviates from the traditional “early to bed, early to rise” approach. Scientific evidence supports the idea of aligning our sleep patterns with our natural circadian rhythms. Sleep plays a vital role in recharging our energy levels, much like charging a phone before unplugging it.
Eating: The key concept is recognising our connection to nature and prioritising a diet that closely resembles natural foods. “This involves avoiding refined or packaged foods, promoting improved digestion. By practising mindfulness in our eating habits, we empower ourselves to make wiser dietary decisions.”
Exercise/timeout: Exercise goes beyond the conventional notions of hitting the gym or engaging in intense physical activities like marathons. It can be as simple as breaking a sedentary routine. For instance, if you spend an hour sitting at your desk, make a point to take breaks, stand up, stretch, walk around, and stay hydrated.
Breathing: “Conscious deep breathing helps us feel centred and aware of what is going on in our bodies. We have no choice but to be present when we are concentrating on letting air in and out.”
Nath argues that the common belief that multitasking signifies productivity is misleading. Instead, he suggests that engaging in focused activities brings true fulfilment. By consciously walking when walking, eating when eating, and incorporating this awareness into our daily lives, we gain a deeper understanding of our actions and their purpose. Constantly dwelling on the past or anticipating the future hinders our ability to be present in the current moment.
Benefits of being present
- Reduces anxiety – Mindfulness-based stress reduction was found to reduce anxiety among participants of a 2013 study by the Massachusetts General Hospital.
- Improves concentration – A Harvard study found that mindfulness mediation can significantly help people improve their attention.
- Improves general health – A study (Jacobs, Wollny, Sim, & Horsch, 2016) found that practising mindfulness enhanced certain behaviours related to health, such as getting regular health check-ups and being physically active.
- Helps in preventing cognitive decline – A 2016 study showed that people with Alzheimer’s disease who engaged in mindfulness meditation had robust improvements on cognitive scores.
- Can improve immune response – Studies have found that mindfulness meditation appeared to increase levels of T-cells or T-cell activity in patients with HIV or breast cancer.
- Improves sleep quality – A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people with insomnia started experiencing more relaxation and better sleep quality after taking a course on mindfulness.
- Can help with addiction – A study titled ‘New Treatment Approaches in Addiction’ found that mindfulness-based interventions can help those with addiction disorders.
“We are only familiar with the body, a little aware of what goes on in the mind and are least connected to our spirit. However, when the three are combined in a trinity, that is when we can truly be in a state of mindfulness,” Nath says.
“Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves. Consider, for example: a magician who cuts his body into many parts and places each part in a different region—hands in the south, arms in the east, legs in the north, and then by some miraculous power lets forth a cry which reassembles whole every part of his body. Mindfulness is like that—it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.”
— T N Hahn, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author, poet and teacher, who is known as the ‘father of mindfulness’
