Mindfulness is the practice of living in the present moment. The intention of mindfulness is to guide your focus away from the chaos inside your mind by appreciating the beauty and simplicity of each moment as it occurs and passes away, yielding to the next moment. Mindfulness meditation began in Buddhism, but can be found in most religions as well as spiritual circles and organizations. 

Mindfulness can improve and enhance your life in three major areas: physical health, mental health, and well being. Let’s take a closer look at what this can mean for you.

Physical health
Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis can work wonders on your physical health. Some ways your health can benefit from mindfulness are:

• Stress relief
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce chronic pain
• Improve sleep
• Treat heart disease

By now you are beginning to understand just how powerful mindfulness can be. Not only will it help you to appreciate life’s moments, but can also dramatically change your health for the better.

Mental Health
Therapists and other psychological practitioners across the country have begun teaching mindfulness to their patients as a tool to work through a wide variety of problems. Those who have practiced mindfulness with guidance from a therapist have found a great amount of relief from:

• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Substance abuse 
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder 
• Interpersonal conflict

Well Being
Getting free from the stresses and strains that come from worrying about the future, dwelling on the past, and acting compulsively out of fear or anger, allows you to luxuriate in the benevolence and grace of life at its core. Using mindfulness will give you the ability to:

• Develop attitudes that foster happiness
• Recognize and relish all the good life has to offer
• Engage fully in activities 
• Deal more easily with some of life’s harder challenges
• Cultivate high self-esteem and self-confidence
• Connect with others on a deeper level

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
???????Now that you know and understand the many benefits of mindfulness, let’s look at some techniques you can use to make mindfulness part of your daily routine:

• Intentional Mindfulness Meditation
  Sit on the floor or in a chair with something your back can rest on. Set a timer for as little as one minute and as long as you please. With closed eyes, begin to breath in and out, noticing how the air feels as it flows in and out of your nostrils. Notice how your chest rises and falls with each breath. You can even say to yourself: I am breathing in, I am breathing out.
  As you continue to focus on your breath, allow thoughts to come and go without judgement. Thoughts will arise, and when they do, redirect your attention to your breath.
  Scan your body from head to toe. Notice and name any sensations you might be experiencing and then let them go, without judgement. Whenever you fixate on a feeling or thought, gently redirect your mind to your breath and sensations. 
  Notice the sounds that surround your meditation space. Perhaps a bird tweeting outside your window or the steady hum of an air-conditioning unit. Pay attention to these sounds without judgment. Simply listen. 
   
• Mindfulness Out and About
  As you go about your day, notice sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. Name them as you notice them: pretty bird, loud car sound, flower smell, bitter taste, soft blanket. Acknowledge it all without judgement, then let it go.
   
• Emotional Mindfulness
  Notice your emotions as they arise, and remind yourself that they are emotions, not realities, and they’re not here to stay. Practice saying or thinking, “I am feeling sad,” “I am feeling frustrated,” “I am feeling scared” without judgement. With this understanding of emotions, you can let them come and go without letting them take you out of the present moment. Instead of taking you away from the present moment, they become the present moment. And, just like the present moment, you know they will pass! 
   

The present is a gift, as the saying goes, and when we fret about the past or future, we squander that gift. Practicing mindfulness will help you take back the present moment from all your fears and judgments, leading you to a more serene and satisfying life than you could have imagined. No matter who you are, you can begin to live mindfully today, one moment at a time.