Mindfulness is a very useful tool that has been applied to different types of psychological intervention in recent decades.

In this article we will see several keys and tips on how to practice Mindfulness , taking advantage of the fact that once started it is very easy to maintain progress and apply Mindfulness in many situations.

What is Full Care?

Based and inspired by Vipassana meditation, which has been practiced for millennia in regions of Asia, Mindfulness is based on the management of attention and the physiological processes that accompany it .

Basically, it has been developed as a way to focus on the present and experience what is happening at the moment from a neutral and non-judgmental perspective, so that the emotional involvement that keeps us attached to worries and obsessions is weakened.

Because of the logic of the functioning of Full Care, it is a very good tool for combating stress and coping with pain, for example, although it also has other applications, some outside the clinical setting.

How to practice Mindfulness on a daily basis

There is a great variety of situations in which we can start practicing Mindfulness, since there is not only one basic way to do it, but several alternative versions of this practice have been developed.

In these lines we will see what the basic principles of the practice of Full Attention are, using an example of exercise.

1. Find a quiet space

Much of the practice of Mindfulness, especially during the first phases in which we still do not master this tool well, is based on knowing how to choose the environments that make it easier to carry out the procedure .

So, choose a place away from distracting stimuli. Especially, no noise. If it is also in an environment where there is a lot of vegetation and nature, that will help you, because a place like this
will hardly remind us of those elements of daily life that can remind us of obligations, responsibilities and, in general, that can generate stress.

2. Sit up straight

Some people always practice Mindfulness sitting in the lotus position, in the manner of Buddhist monks, but this is not mandatory. However, it is advisable to sit in a way that favors a straight back, because in this way we will not be bothered by unnecessary muscle tension .

3. Perform controlled breathing

Breathing exercises can be a good help to start practicing Mindfulness, although when you have more practice this step will be dispensable.

Its function is twofold. On the one hand, the deep and slow breathing helps to oxygenate the body and to relax . On the other hand, it allows you to start focusing your attention on something concrete in a sustained way, something that will be very useful.

4. Focus on what is happening in your body

First, close your eyes. In this phase the only thing to do is to focus the attention on those small facts that we can notice happening in our body, one after the other and dedicating to each of them, approximately, half a minute .

For example, direct attention to the palpitations you feel in your neck, or the way your eyes move within the sockets without those movements being voluntary, etc. Do this with about six elements that you notice.

In this way we will be managing the focus of attention by directing it to simple stimuli, without anything else demanding our attention no matter how important or urgent it may have seemed to us an hour ago.

5. Enlarge the focus

In this phase, move from the focus on bodily stimuli to more abstract life experiences. Think about them as a person not involved in such matters would . Do not judge, not values, just think about it by describing, accepting that it is part of a reality.

Dedicate to each fact or experience the time that corresponds to it, according to the degree of importance that you have given it in previous occasions, according to how much it has come to obsess you, to worry you, etc.
This is the fundamental part of Mindfulness, since it helps us to face experiences with wide repercussions in our lives.

6. Return to controlled breathing

This phase marks an end to the Mindfulness exercise, in a ritualized way,

How to learn more about Full Care?

There are many ways to develop Mindfulness-based practices. One of the most useful for therapists and psychologists in general, for example, is Full Attention applied to the regulation of emotions .

For people interested in this kind of exercise, it is advisable to attend training programs such as the one offered by the Mensalus Institute in Barcelona: Mindfulness Training Program: M-PBI . This course, with an applied experiential format and based on individual and team work, trains students in psychological intervention with Mindfulness to reduce anxiety levels and to improve emotional management in a wide variety of contexts. All this, commenting and addressing the possible problems that usually appear in these cases depending on the situation: stress due to exams, couple problems, grieving processes, etc.

To find out more about this Mindfulness training initiative, click here and contact Mensalus.