The Gift of Mindfulness

on April 10 | in Featured, LIFEWISE | by admin | with No Comments

Life coach Celeste du Toit writes about practicing mindfulness and creating the space for others to grow.

Everyone is talking about Mindfulness these days. But how do we do it? Are there strategies to use to become more mindful?

Mindfulness is focusing your attention on what is happening in the present moment – without judgement. As a Life Coach, the most powerful and insightful moments I experience with clients happen when both the client and I are totally present in that moment. It is when we become mindful of something that we gain the full benefit of the experience. Even when we talk about the past or the future, we focus on that specific moment with full attention, and without judgement.

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers” Thich Nhat Hanh

Marianne Williamson, on a visit to Google to talk to their leaders said that leadership is all about “holding a space for the brilliance of others”. I find that profound, for any leadership, coaching or guidance role should create that space, that moment for others to allow them to reach their full potential.

So how do we become more mindful? Let us look at some ideas.

1. Expand Your Awareness

Awareness is the ability to perceive, sense, and be conscious of what is happening. Awareness helps us to become unstuck and see possibilities.But it has to be practiced, just like any other tool.

We often find it hard to do, because we focus on what we need to see, hear, know, and feel. Whatever we do not “need”,we delete from our conscious mind– sometimes as a coping mechanism, sometimes because the information is not relevant, or sometimes because our focus is elsewhere. We may needan event or outside perspective to raise our awareness, and to see the forest instead of trees.

By simply asking the question…

Find out more about mindfulness in the digital magazine, Issue 13, pages 7-8.