Here and Now Mindfulness​
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Much of the time, we are not present for the life that is happening here and now. Often without even noticing it, our minds get caught up in stories about the future or the past. We plan, fantasize, hope things will go a certain way, or worry they won't go the way we want them to. We regret, replay memories over and over, wish things were like they used to be, or wish things hadn't gone the way they went. While planning for the future and remembering the past are important, we often don't even realize that we're doing this, and in the process of mind-wandering, we sometimes cause unnecessary suffering for ourselves while missing precious moments of our lives.
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Mindfulness invites us to bring our attention to the present with a non-judgmental attitude, to become aware of the body and mind in this very moment, and to experience the only place and time in which we can ever truly experience life: here and now.
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Here and Now Mindfulness offers the evidence-based, 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course that was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School as well as mindfulness workshops and classes to encourage the cultivation of present-moment awareness, which can lead to improvements in quality of life and overall health and well-being.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is increasingly recognized in healthcare, education, and business as a valuable way to reduce stress and improve physical and mental well-being. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as a way of being that arises “through paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Full Catastrophe Living, 2013, p. xxvii). Mindfulness is an innate capacity we have as human beings, and with practice we can strengthen this ability to pay attention to the present moment.
The opposite of mindfulness is auto-pilot, such as when we drive from one place to another, having no idea how we got there safely because our mind was wandering for most of the journey. Research has shown that about half the time, the mind is wandering, and that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010).
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