One definition of mindfulness is: paying attention with focused awareness, non-judgmentally, to what one is experiencing, moment to moment.

It is the ability to be with what is without labeling, judging, indulging in it, pushing it away, or wanting it to be different.

Learning how to be more mindful in our lives helps us to become aware of what we are doing and why. This includes actions, behaviors, and choices that do not support our goals. Mindfulness practice will help you become more aware of unconscious habits and behaviors as well as automatic reactions, checking out and disassociating when uncomfortable feelings arise. Being mindful can help you make more conscious choices that move you toward your goals.

I teach my clients Mindfulness Practices and Meditation and as a support and foundation for overcoming challenges that arise and to support optimal health and wellbeing.

Here is a partial list of the many benefits of practicing mindfulness:

Improves focus, concentration and memory; lessens anxiety and depression; lowers blood pressure; helps with pain management; increases creativity, joy and passion; deepens and strengthens relationships with family, friends and work associates; decreases reactivity and being on auto pilot; increases moments of being present and seeing life as it is; creates a healthier relationship with food by eating mindfully; enhances your experiencing of living by being present for all of the moments big and small that are your life!

Jon Kabat-Zinn – who I refer to as the person who brought Mindfulness to mainstream America by using a universal language that everyone can understand and apply to their life. One of his many contributions to the practice of mindfulness is his definitions of the 9 Attitudinal Foundations of Mindfulness.

I will be talking about each of these 9 attitudes weekly and am inviting you to apply each one every week throughout your day and notice what happens; particularly when you are challenged or triggered. These 9 attitudes can be applied to formal and informal mindfulness practice. Formal meaning when you are practicing a mindfulness meditation and informal means how you practice mindfulness in your life.

Please post your comments on my blog so we can have a community discussion about these 9 attitudes and how we can apply them to enhance the quality of our lives.

Here are the 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness practice:

Non-Judging | Patience | Beginners Mind | Trust | Non-Striving | Acceptance | Letting Go | Generosity | Gratitude

The definitions are taken from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book “Full Catastrophe Living.”

NON – JUDGING

• Noticing the urge to categorize or label thoughts that arise in your mind.
• Taking the stance of an impartial witness to your own experience.
• Noticing the stream of judging mind…..good/bad/neutral……not trying to stop it but just being aware of it.
• Noticing how the need to define life as ‘good’ (liking) or ‘bad’ (not liking) takes us away from the real experience.
• Don’t beat yourself up for judging; just realize you are doing it.

How might we apply this our lives?

Example:

I was recently participating in an introductory meeting in which there was a time limit of 2 hours. It was to start with a ceremony with 9 of us lighting a candle and introducing ourselves.

There was an issue with a person who is allergic to Sulphur, so the first candle had to be lit in a different room. There was a challenge with the candle not staying lit, and there was some back and forth about how to make this work. I found myself getting irritated at what I perceived as a non-essential aspect of our meeting (note: Judgment) and the clock was ticking away while discussion went around about how to light these candles without the Sulphur irritating the woman with the allergy.

I made a comment about all of us having an inner flame and let’s move on without the candle ceremony. However, I noticed right away that I was judging this situation and decided to check in with my body and notice what was happening. My mouth was tight like I had just bit into a lemon, my stomach was contracted, and my breathing was constricted, while at the same time I was breathing faster than normal. I became aware of how I was armored and closed off to the group as a whole while engaging in my story of judgment.

I stayed with these sensations a while, and my body began to relax. As my body began to relax, I realized I had another choice which was just to be with what was happening even though it was uncomfortable to me while also being aware that I had an opinion and story about what I thought should be happening.

As I became aware of my body sensations while judging this situation and noticing that I was closed off to the individuals in the group, an interesting thing happened, which is that by noticing and paying attention to what was happening; body sensations and judgmental thoughts, and not trying to push it away – I was able to come back to the present moment and was once again connected and engaged with the group again.

That was all I needed to do to come back to the present moment. I never judged myself for judging either, but I did become aware that I was judging.

How about you? What stories of judgment have you noticed in your life and how did you choose to work with them?