17/05/2025
This week has been āMental Health Awareness Week 12th-18th Mayā and to celebrate the forward thinking Syscom in Egham very kindly asked me to run a staff yoga session. The sun was shining so off to the park we went. Nothing better than having a yoga class out in nature and our focus was mindfulness! So what does it mean to be mindful! Quite simply it means to be aware, to be present. It isnāt anything religious it just means to focus our full attention only on the present, experiencing thoughts, feelings, and sensations but not judging them. How amazing is that. We can do anything mindfully. In fact yoga is a mindful practice, you are encouraged to focus on the breath you breath or the shape you make to stay present on the mat, but we can do anything mindfully. When we walk be present, be aware of the sun on your face, the wind in your hair and observe your surroundings. We can wash our hands mindfully, feel the temperature the water, the softness of the soap. Being present helps to quieten the mind from all the busyness. In yoga they call it āChitta Vrittiā also known as the āmonkey mindā as we jump from one thought to another. When we are present we feel calmer, it helps us to de-stress and it frees up space in our heads to think clearer for when we think clearer we make better choices/decisions. I liken it to deleting files in our computer, because even our computers get overloaded, imagine what our brains are doing will all the constant information and stimulation of the modern world. So for the rest of mental health awareness week I encourage you to try and do something mindfully, actually hereās a challenge try and listen mindfully! Try and give your full attention as the biggest gift is to give our time and attention - hard if youāre not very interested in what someone is saying and off that money minds goes. šHereās a tip to stay present - repeat back in your head what someone is saying, trust me it works. So please allow me to leave you with my favourite saying..
The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the gift is NOW - and thatās why itās called the PRESENT!
Happy mindfulnessā¦
www.simplyyoga.org.uk