(320 words, 2mts. of reading time)

Staying in an environment exclusively reserved for the self leads to an experience called mindfulness.

Residing in this environment are the present moments connected to what one is doing, cohering internally with one’s body and mind while keeping an absolute awareness of breath’s inhalation and exhalation flow.

Mindfulness is the idea of being present with oneself at the moment while the world’s events pass unnoticed.

It is a practice of being intensely aware of what a person is sensing and feeling in a moment without interpretation or judgment.

Based on ancient Buddhist practice, it was popularised in the mid-’70s by Thich Nhat Hanh, a world-renowned monk from Vietnam who died on January 21, 2022, at 95.

In his book You Are Here, he emphasizes the concept of mindfulness: being aware of what we’re experiencing in our bodies and minds at any given moment and not dwelling on the past or thinking of the future.

He stressed the awareness of the breath by repeating internally, “I’m breathing in; this is an in-breath. I’m breathing out; this is an out-breath.”

According to Hann, peace, happiness, joy, and true love are realized only in the present moment.

Mindfulness slightly deviates from meditation in that it can be practised anytime, with closed or opened eyes, without any guru-given mind-focussing mantra, or even when doing routine chores like doing dishes.

The idea is to focus on the activity and be fully present. Another example is exercising on a treadmill or bike.

Living in the present and being involved within does not mean disengagement from the world. Instead, mindfulness with total concentration still keeps people connected with an environment that does not disturb them.

The subtility of mindfulness rests on the essential human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s happening around us.

by Promod Puri