Dr. Lisa Saponaro

What is all the buzz about mindfulness? Many of us have heard about the importance of being mindful, but how many of us really know what it means? Before the 1970’s, mindfulness only existed in Eastern societies that practiced Buddhist meditation. It was not until an American professor, Jon Kabat-Zinn, introduced the idea to the West in 1979 that mindfulness began gaining traction as a healing modality. He defined mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Since the advent of mindfulness in the United States, there has been a wealth of empirical research that has come out in support of these interventions across age, ethnicity, and gender. Research has shown that mindfulness can effectively treat an array of psychological issues, including: Anxiety disorders Depressive disorders Obsessive compulsive disorders Panic disorder Chronic pain Substance use Personality disorders Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Contrary to how the name sounds, mindfulness can actually help us decrease the fullness we often feel in our minds and allow us to engage more intimately with the present moment. Through bringing more mindfulness to our moment-to-moment experiences, we feel more connected to our authentic selves and increase feelings of wholeness, appreciation and joy. By engaging with feelings of gratitude and awe our experiences of depression and anxiety can lose power. There are a variety of formal mindfulness practices that are often beneficial to start with but once developed, mindfulness is a skill that can be applied informally to every aspect of your life. Here are a few formal mindfulness practices you can engage in: Mindfulness Meditation: Practice sitting upright with your back straight, shoulders relaxed, feet planted firmly on the ground (or cross legged), heart open in a dignified but relaxed way for several minutes. Let yourself just be and experience the stillness within you. Each time a thought, emotion and/or sensations arises, acknowledge it with acceptance and compassion and then bring your attention back to your breath. Mindful Walking: Find a place to walk where you feel safe and relaxed. As you walk, bring your attention to the body. With each step you take, notice your feet making contact with the ground. Take notice of any sensations in your body. Watch your limbs naturally coordinate to help you maintain balance. Notice the rhythm of your breath as you walk and how it coincides with your body movements. Mindful Eating: Find a small piece of food, such as a raisin, and focus mindfully on the raisin to where you are experiencing the fullness of each bite. Take notice of the texture, taste, smell, sound and other sensations of the food. If a thought arises, acknowledge and accept it, and bring yourself back to the food item (can work with any food). Yoga: As you begin to stretch a specific region in the body, you may begin to feel the resistance and discomfort in that area of the body. Through mindfulness, we can begin to make space for these feelings and sensations by acknowledging them with acceptance, patience and compassion. By acknowledging the resistance and discomfort and then returning our attention back to the breath, we come to realize that the pain in the body is not us and is merely passing through us as visitors do in a guest house. Once formal mindfulness practices have been exercised and the muscle of mindfulness have begun to grow, then one can begin engaging in informal practices of mindfulness, such as: Washing Dishes: As you begin to wash the dishes, take notice of the sensations in your hands as you make contact with the warm water, soap, and dishes. Slow the rate of washing down to where you can be fully present with each item that is being washed. Observing Nature: As you go out into nature, take notice of all that is around you. Slow down and let yourself gaze on the different shapes and colors of the trees, plants, animals, and landscape. Listen to the sounds of the birds chirp and the rustling of the leaves as you walk by. Showering: As you step into the shower, feel the sensations in your body as the warm water makes contact with your skin. Listen to the sounds of the warm water spraying all around you. Observe and accept any thoughts and feelings as they arise and return yourself back to the present moment experience of taking a shower. Parenting: Take a moment to pause when you are with your child and bring your full presence and attention to the moment-to-moment interactions you are having with them. Mindfulness has the ability to increase our parenting skills, which in turn positively impacts our children and the relationship we have with them. Mindfulness is not a technique to learn but a way of living to adopt. All of us have the capacity to cultivate mindfulness and similar to muscles, each time we exercise our attention by bringing it back to the present moment, the muscles of mindfulness grow. At the Center for Psychological Growth and Wellness, there are a host of practitioners who have been professionally trained in mindfulness-based exercises and are ready to support you with leading a more mindful lifestyle. Located in the heart of Plantation, Florida and servicing Broward County and Florida communities including Davie, Sunrise, Cooper City, Weston, and Fort Lauderdale.