Mindfulness

Mindfulness meditation is now well established in our Western communities. It’s 2500+ year old origins in Buddhist culture are gaining scientific validation across the world. Humans from all walks of life are cultivating awareness, compassion and wise insight, though some might tell you it just helps them sleep better at night.

I must admit I missed the point when I first met mindfulness in my clinical psychology training. It wasn’t until I started yoga classes and then expanded my movement practices to include Feldenkrais (a method of cultivation awareness through movement) and meditation, that I discovered it was relevant to me and in fact all human beings.

It turns out there is a growing field of research into the application of mindfulness to support the wellbeing of people affected by cancer. It’s not about a cure for cancer itself (we will leave modern medicine to do its work here), but it is about supporting the mind, body and spirit in facing the challenges of the human condition.

Having established my own mindfulness practice, albeit an imperfect and variable one, it made sense to learn how to share it. Mindfulness Scotland offers a mindfulness teacher training programme, which gives me a base from which to share these practices.

It is worth mentioning that there are many doorways into these practices. Many start with breathing, but don’t be put off if this isn’t your comfortable starting place. As a very “wriggly” meditator myself, my entry was through movement, walking and “grounding” through the soles of my feet. Then there’s the hands, the metaphor of the mountain and imagery galore. There really is a way in for everyone and sometimes it is about timing, so my message would be “play” with it and “hold it lightly”.