Mastering mindfulness

Focusing on the present moment without being judgmental with the practice of various techniques is mindfulness. It's a psychological process where one comes to terms by being fully aware & being in the present.

Mindfulness is being aware of your thoughts, feelings, environment, people & surroundings. When we practice mindfulness, we focus only on the present moment by keeping the past & future at bay.

By practicing mindfulness, one regains the lost focus & continues to dwell on the present moment. A constant analysis of what one is doing & how one feels has to be examined.

Emotional & Physical well being is paramount to mindfulness. Mindfulness can be improved through overall well being. Both the physical & psychological health has to be taken care. Most times it works by accepting things as they are; and not reacting.

How to practice

Live in the moment: Bring an open, accepting attention to everything you do. By shunning the past experiences and avoiding future uncertainties, one can mindfully live in the present.

Be attentive: It's hard to slow down when things get busy or in a busy world. One's span of attention widens with varied experiences. But it's important to be attentive amidst a busy schedule.

Accept yourself: Treat yourself just as you would treat others. It's important to accept just as we are rather than becoming an unknown person.

Stay focused: With less distractions one can be focused. It's easy to get defocused in today's confused surroundings but the trick is to remain focused.

Just breathe: Observe your breath. Our breathing says a lot about our health. Constant monitoring is crucial to take corrective measures.

According to Maanav Khaitan, Class 12 of Oakridge International School, mindfulness is being able to focus attention on the present moment, being aware of actions and thoughts, and not getting overwhelmed by what happens around. When stressed, I reflect all my energy to the task. I also sometimes speak with my mother about problems I am facing and this helps me cool down. I aspire to be a technology-driven entrepreneur & will always be inspired by Steve Jobs & Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

Benefits of mindfulness

Enhances concentration and focus: By practicing mindfulness techniques, one can see an improvement of concentration and focus. This helps in performing tasks better.

Improves meditating powers: Some of the activities as part of Mindfulness are yoga, deep breathing & enjoying nature. When done regularly it increases the power of meditation.

Paying greater attention: As one masters techniques to enhance mindfulness, one makes a leap by paying greater attention to detail.

Going with the flow: It's necessary to accept things as they are. In this acceptance, one learns to be with the flow.

Accept things: When situations are thrown at us in a negative way, we have to learn to accept without reacting. To keep the balance one had to just accept the circumstances and dwell in the present moment.

Chakrika Ambaty of Grade 7 of Oakridge International School says mindfulness is when we are aware of what we're doing and not overly overwhelmed by what's going on around us. One of the best ways of practicing mindfulness is meditate daily. Meditation is a huge benefit and increases your levels of energy, happiness, inspiration and inner peace. Listening is a great anchor to mindfulness and seeking out to nature is a positive reinforcer. My ambition is to help poor people. I want to be a Leader. My role model is Malala Yousafzai. My mom is also my role model in life.

Techniques of mindfulness

Observation: Observation plays an important role in assessing perceptions & enhancing thought process.

Meditation: Good meditation practices involve good breathing, exercising, walking by bringing in stability to thought process.

Sensations: Analysing feelings, thoughts, is important to gauge our sensations.

Emotions: Anger, frustration, love, can make or break a person. Negative emotions have to be worked on while positive emotions boost one's morale. It's a feel good factor.

Saharsa Miryala of 7M of Oakridge International School opines that mindfulness is where you take all the positive energy inside you and show towards others in the real life world. To allow yourself to be mindful, you have to share and put out positive energy. A great way to start is by meditating. A lot of people in this world like to hold on to their past'. By being mindful you could identify where the actual problem is rather than accusing others. I want to become CEO of one of the Multi-National Company. My role models in my life are my parents.

Mindfulness helps greatly in stress reduction, brings in positive changes in health, attitudes & behaviour. One thereby practices mindfulness by being more accepting to whatever comes. Gently redirecting and trying again. Stress reduction improves happiness Quotient.

Investing in yourself is very important. One needs to take time to reflect on the past, future to make the present a beautiful moment. One has to shun and eschew negativity and focus on positive vibes for a good appealing present moment. One has to practice to be mindful in all situations be it professional or personal to keep the balance.

Students have a greater responsibility to nurture themselves mindfully and be completely aware of situations, and people. As students go through greater levels of stress because of expectations in the academic field, techniques of mindfulness have to taught at a younger age. This will help them to accept things as they are.

Greater awareness has to be harnessed by handling things in a more mature mindful way. Having a great mindset will improve manifold in accepting people or situations. Mindfulness creates positive vibes and improves people relations and betters negative situations. Being mindful is being mature with complete awareness.