WHAT ARE THE 7 PRINCIPLES OF MINDFULNESS?

Daily Motivation

“Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.” — Buddha

“Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.” — Greater Good Magazine

Having a strong mind allows you to stay true to your values, to exist in the present moment and the cool clarity of making decisions based on what you think you should do, not just by reactions and emotions. It means appreciating what you have and where you are right now.

We slow down to look around, we allow ourselves to stop worrying about the past and future. We see things as they are, not how we want them to be.

What are the 7 Principles of Mindfulness?

There are 7 key parts on the path to mindfulness, all of which are steps to help you find your way.

1. Non-judging Learning to be an observer, a witness to your thoughts and those of others can help you to listen without reacting. You are better able to seek the truth about things, not to judge based on an initial impression.

2. Patience This is part of learning to be in the present moment. Instant gratification means we want something - and we want it now. We anticipate how we will feel when we have it. Have you ever seen a wise person running? No. They are wise in part because they understand that sometimes, things unfold in their own time, and for good reason.

3. Beginner’s Mind Keeping and fostering the childlike wonder we had as youth is key as well. If we remain open to new ideas, people, cultures, beliefs, we are less rigid. Being receptive to new things allows us to constantly grow and nurture our mind and body.

4. Trust When you fully believe in yourself, your feelings, your ability to make good decisions and trust your thoughts and intuition, it frees you to stop worrying. If and when the time comes for change—and it will—you trust that you will know how best to handle it.

5. Non-Striving You don’t have to be or do anything other than what you are right now. Be in the moment. Observe what is happening around you without feeling like you need to affect or change it in some way.

6. Acceptance How are things? Not how you want to see them, but how they actually are? Being able to drop fear and ego means you can see things more clearly and be able to act accordingly.

7. Letting Go We all have some baggage kicking around. Letting go means we release the thoughts, emotions and fears that don’t serve us in the moment. Have the present experience now, not the past and future.

Our very own Roger Moore, a medical hypnotherapist, facilitates our Mindfulness Focused Group on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. The classes are free. Please go to the calendar ParkinsonsResource.org/news/calendar/ on the website to register and join.