What is awareness? This is such a simple question and yet no one can give an answer.
Even the most eminent neuroscientist cannot answer this. We cannot know what awareness is but we can have the experience of being aware. One way of experiencing this is by practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness, above all other psychological approaches, is the one most strongly supported by scientific evidence. Positive research findings continue to pour in from all over the world. Mindfulness is not based on intellectual understanding. It is not a ‘mental action’ but a way of gently disentangling ourselves from the mind and learning to experience and appreciate the beauty, stillness, and spaciousness that exists outside of thought. This is one of the most difficult things to do despite its simplicity.
The mindfulness based living course is a recognised course developed by the Mindfulness Association in conjunction with the University of Aberdeen. It provides specific practices where we learn to settle the mind and cultivate a more helpful attitude to life’s difficulties. It creates the conditions for self-compassion to arise, thus providing a solid grounding in mindfulness.
Mindfulness training is available with Martina Coyne for adults and teens in NUI Galway. Visit www.compassionatemind.ie, phone 086 8213808, or email [email protected].
