Mindfulness is a mental state, characterised by concentrated awareness of one's thoughts, actions or motivations.

Mindfulness is an activity that can be done at any time; it does not require sitting, or even focusing on the breath, but rather is done by bringing the mind to focus on what is happening in the present moment, while simply noticing the mind's usual "commentary".

One learns to become aware of the mind's commentary: e.g." I wish washing dishes wasn't so boring", etc. Once we have noticed the mind's running commentary, we can stop identifying with it: we can see that washing dishes does not have to be judged as "boring” and enjoy the task more. Any activity done mindfully is a form of meditation, and mindfulness is possible practically all the time.

Our classes teach exercises that develop mindfulness awareness on a daily basis. Only five minutes, twice a day are initially required. This approach is particularly helpful when it is difficult to establish a regular meditation practice.

Although mindfulness has its origins in Buddhism, it is attracting increasing interest in Western psychology and psychiatry. Mindfulness meditation has been clinically shown to be effective for the management of stress, anxiety and panic, chronic pain, depression, obsessive thinking, strong emotional reactivity, and a wide array of medical and mental health related conditions.