A taste of Mindfulness with Dr. Sheila French.
Article by Kathryn Smith
Our workshop began by sitting in a circle with tables to use as desks as Sheila explained about Mindfulness. She said that we cannot clear our minds but we can calm them down. There is so much noise going on, not only in our distracting society but in our own selves too.
Mindfulness gives us more emotional control. We learned how to control our thinking by being more present and focused on each individual task. When we do this, we can enjoy what we are doing and the moment we are in. Multitasking is an illusion and Sheila taught us that we are just moving quickly between tasks when we do this. We expend an enormous amount of energy and we are not fully focused which results in poor time management. When we use each moment mindfully our available time increases. We can notice what is going on in our heads and pay attention to where our mind is going.
Our first practice was to take two chocolates, to eat one straight away and to place the other one on a napkin. We looked at and smelled the chocolate. We then placed the chocolate in our mouths and on Sheila’s instructions let it sit there. (This was difficult!) We felt the richness and texture of the chocolate and were then told to eat it slowly and mindfully. We all agreed that the mindful way was much more tasty, lingering and enjoyable. Sheila challenged us to eat our meals this way and savour them.
Using these Mindfulness tools we are being kept away from “The next thing” which Sheila assured us that we all do as we rush from one thing to another. We were encouraged to think about what we are doing in our everyday moments. Whilst Mindfulness is not relaxing it can give us pain relief and resilience to anxiety and depression. It improves our well being and gives us confidence.
Our second practice was “Stop and Go” in which we tuned into our awareness of self and used breathing techniques for a few moments. Sheila’s instructions were clear and concise and we all gained the benefits from this tool.
Our third practice took us around the room and then outside where we were taught to mindfully walk and notice things. Many of us noticed things which we had missed despite visiting this place each year.
After lunch, we enjoyed a seated counting Meditation, Sheila’s Body Scan which we performed lying down and the 3-5, 5-7 breath.
In Mindfulness, we are to ask ourselves “What can I do to make myself feel better?” We are to be as kind to ourselves as we are to other people which Sheila explained is not always an easy task!
To finish our day we returned to our seated positions and were guided through a Kindness Meditation where we brought to mind an act of kindness we had given and how that made us feel.
A wonderful, thoughtful and encouraging practice.
Our thanks to Sheila for sharing her knowledge and teaching us many tools to use to begin our own Mindfulness journey.