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"...mindfulness practice can be taken up in different ways to suit different lifestyles. While making time for formal meditation is important, mindfulness can also be practiced as part of our ordinary routine, while brushing our teeth, driving to work, walking the dog, or waiting in the check-out line. Most people actually feel as though they have more time in their lives once they begin practicing mindfulness—they become increasingly focused and efficient while feeling more rested and less stressed." - Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School Dr. Ronald D. Siegel, The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems (2010, Guilford Press), p.ix.

In order to become more mindful one must readjust one's habitual relationship with one's body - to literally re-body, or re-member one's physical existence - to be sensibly present as much as possible wherever one finds oneself. This physical 'waking up' to one's regular daily environment demands certain lifestyle changes, and so mindfulness training courses often tend to revolve around lifestyle management themes. The course guides or trainers gently encourage and support the continued growth of more wholesome appetites and perspectives for enjoying the simple things in life, such as appreciating physical movement, daily tasks, nature, social interaction, eating, resting, etc. Through this process, participants come to understand that mindfulness is definitely a lifestyle rather than a philosophy - it is something to be lived rather than pondered or contemplated.

Mindfulness practice involves watching our own nature - a nature very similar to that of animals and plants in that we are composed of cells and all our behaviours are governed by the same self-perpetuating life process. Just like animals and plants, we try to move away from things which will bring death, and we move closer to things which will help us stay alive. This instinctive behaviour - to protect and preserve our living body - leads us humans to use symbols (words, body language, etc.) to coordinate and predict our complex social worlds so that we can more efficiently preserve ourselves through a cooperative survival strategy.

Unfortunately, the symbolic world we rely upon so much can replace the true physical reality we share with animals, plants, and the planet in general. We often impose a model of the universe upon our environment and choose to live within that conceptual model rather than the physical environment itself. In the developed world, this model of the universe most often has a human bias that makes us feel more powerful than we really are. Even in the face of natural disasters like tsunamis and volcanos, or even potential asteroid impacts - which should humble us and bring us down to earth - we often continue to believe that we are above and beyond nature.

This superiority complex we build for ourselves; symbolically separating our existence from the rest of the universe, even though it often creates problems for us, comforts us deeply as we over-celebrate what our symbolic world has accomplished - through engineering, research, coordinated exploration, etc. We may be superior to other animals when it comes to survival, but of course we are not superior to nature in general when it comes to having the power to dictate life or death.

Our practice of over-celebrating symbol manipulation does not seem to be recognised enough - instead we allow habits of busily thinking about and interpreting the world to take over when we could be peacefully experiencing physically being in the world instead - a mindful approach that can be more efficient. For example, a passionate and detailed discussion about puddings in general does not prove how a certain pudding tastes. It is in the direct, mindful experience of pudding-eating that we truly know something about it. Thus, we have the saying, "The proof is in the pudding", and the same goes for our true nature and nature in general - we can only truly know it by directly experiencing it.

The biggest down-side to our habitual symbol-heavy approach to existing becomes all too apparent when we would like our busy thought process to stop interfering with our inner peace - when we feel anxious before an important interview, for example, or as a challenging project deadline approaches, or when we are trying to get to sleep while experiencing insomnia. We realise at those points in time that our thoughts are our own worst enemies and we wish more than anything to be able to relax into our natural, organic makeup - as far away from symbols as possible.

When our busy thoughts are hijacking our bodies' ability to perform or relax, we can feel the opposite of 'a clever symbol-using human' - we feel powerless to arrive in a more peaceful place, as our habitual appetite for wielding symbolic thoughts as a reaction to all phenomena dominates our experience. During such times we realise that we have been habitually thinking and indulging in the idea that the mind ultimately commands the body, and we are hit by the truth that in fact it is the body - this incredible organic, natural entity - which commands the mind, and we have been out of touch with it's basic needs - to be listened to and given a space to relax and breathe.

Maintaining a healthy, sober relationship with nature becomes an essential part of bringing more mindfulness into our lives. The mindful counter-balance to interruptive thought patterns is practicing channelling our energies towards experiencing and honouring the needs of the automatic natural life process that is keeping our bodies alive. Watching the breath automatically breathing, noticing our awareness automatically noticing, or feeling our posture muscles automatically balancing our bodies, makes us aware of a positive subconscious process underlying our whole existence - caring for us unconditionally during every moment - and yet so often operating beyond our normal everyday experience.

Only by becoming experientially aware of the automatic life process taking place within us - through mindfulness meditation practice - can we relax into and trust this positive subconscious attitude to carry us through our day. By literally giving our true nature a space to breathe within - center stage in our field of awareness - it can become our most trusted ally in leading a more agreeable life - to the point where there is no separation between nature in general and ourselves.

In addition to the benefits of being mindful of nature in general, studies have shown that spending time in and around nature significantly improves reported feelings of well-being. Just looking at images of nature can influence our lives positively, not to mention the act of bringing plants, animals, and natural objects into our houses and personal spaces, or spending time in a park or hiking in the countryside - enjoying being close to greenery and stretches of water. Such experiences can reinforce our deep connections with the natural world and encourage us to honour and reinforce the natural processes taking care of us within our own bodies, as well as outside of us.

The incredible power of our human minds - to be able to model the systems around us and create new versions of those systems - can seem miraculous compared to what we know of the minds of other animals.

Like a beautiful plum blossom on an old weather-beaten tree - something so apparently perfect situated on something so apparently imperfect - our invisible minds and the physical nervous systems that they emerge from can seem very separate in nature. And yet all scientific evidence shows us, after more than 2500 years of careful study, that if one removes the body within which the mind makes decisions, or the tree on which a blossom grows, then the mind or the blossom disappears along with it.

The mystery of the decision-making mind is not a question to be answered by mindfulness practice, but anyone who has developed a strong sense of destiny or essential purpose, only for that self-image to be somehow destroyed, will be fully aware of how impermanent and illusory our conceptions of who we are as individual 'selves' can be. Many of the managers of financial institutions and organizations during the 2008 financial crisis became all too aware of how flimsy their views of themselves as successful, clever businessmen were, for example.

Mindfulness encourages us to emphasise our inter-existence with other things, rather than our separateness, because this is where our physical activity is located - in our interactions, and it is our behaviour which ultimately dictates what or who we are in any situation, not our job title or religious denomination.

One day we could be a manager and the next we could be a beggar, and yet a manager could beg his boss for a payrise and a beggar could manage a group of beggars so that they all benefit. By dropping this judging mind that loves to apply labels, and instead allowing actions to speak for themselves, we can find more space to accept and adapt to our changing environments or circumstances - not clinging to ideas of who we think we are, but instead possibly becoming someone even greater than that person we thought we were - by remaining open to change.

By practising mindfulness in this way, things that are normally "happening to me" can become "just happening". Taking the sense of a permanent self out of the equation lessens the impact of any catastrophes, allowing us to move on to a more positive place much faster as we drop our personal stories of suffering and self-ish entitlement. Over time, mindfulness brings us more peace when faced with traditionally challenging circumstances, and gives us the confidence to be what we truly are - something beyond a label - just fluid and adaptable - open to change and consciously integrated with something more wholesome - the whole universe.

As soon as one is bringing more peace to a situation, one is contributing to healing oneself and others - dissolving the tension which can so easily amplify the effects of a random catastrophe. When the tension associated with a toxic influence arises within a person, nothing is actually happening to that person in isolation - it is happening to a wider community. As much as a single cell in a human body getting sick is happening to a human body in general, a person getting sick has a knock-on effect for any other people in their wider society - people who may need to rely on that individual.

Taking any step to truly strengthen the 'social body' one belongs to is an immediate counter to any toxic influences entering that society. The 'heartful' essence of mindfulness practice follows this trajectory by aiming to continually cultivate peace from within - physically being and embodying the change the world needs - so that peace can be distributed to others as well as be appreciated for oneself in every moment.

Mindfulness practitioners look for opportunities to notice tension in the body and dissolve it before it can trigger emotional reactivity - both in oneself or in others. In this way mindfulness allows individuals to collect droplets of peace to add to the ocean of mutual respect we all like to swim in together. It is as if we are working daily in a beautiful garden that belongs to our community, and while working in that garden we get to enjoy its health benefits. In the case of mindfulness practitioners, we get to enjoy the peace and serenity we are collecting for others. Encouraging peace within and around one at all times, with a recognised emphasis on its value for other people, can become a deeply enjoyable practice wherever, whenever, and whatever one is doing.

Our appetite for mindfulness practice often increases as time moves on - as our social responsibilities build up and the inevitable painful events in life force us to become more sober and realistic; whether we like it or not. Our sense of invincibility and immortality which accompanied our youth crumbles and we face our vulnerability more and more often. Suddenly acceptance of life's inevitable pains, and letting go of attachments becomes a more obvious skill to cultivate than before.

No matter what we do or think, every single one of us is going to experience at least one of the following painful life events: old age, sickness, and/or death. Most of us will experience all three - and not just our own aging and sickness while heading towards death, but the aging and fading away of loved ones, close friends, neighbours, etc. - sometimes gradually over time, and sometimes suddenly. As time goes on, our lives will be impacted by the pain associated with these three inevitable events more and more regularly, and so the question arises; what are we all going to do as the inevitable pain arrives in greater and greater intensity?

The escapist and hedonist routes are varied and well-trodden; alcohol, expensive treats, personality cults, plastic surgery, a new relationship, etc. However, we know that consciously numbing ourselves to inevitable pain is often as fruitful as voluntarily taking on frostbite. Our sensitivity to pain is there for a reason; to warn us of potential catastrophe. By willingly numbing ourselves, and often voluntarily poisoning our bodies in the process, we no longer become sensitive to the presence of many potentially damaging phenomena. By running away from inevitable pain we become ignorant and neglectful, and find that we damage ourselves more often than before. Ironically, our attempts to avoid the inevitable pain of old age, sickness, and death are found to bring more pain.

After recognising that we need to be sensitive to pain in order to remain functional, we begin to look at the source of our foolish reactionary behaviour and realise that it is our non-acceptance of the inevitable pains in life that is the problem. We may then begin practising acceptance of what is necessary for us to experience - pain as well as joy, and find that we can maintain a higher level of inner peace than before.

This can seem like a strange question to ask, "Do you REALLY want peace?", but when the stillness of boredom hits, we so easily react with aversion. It is wise to ask why this is the case, since if we look carefully into the heart of boredom, we will find peace there waiting for us.

Why do we get bored when things stand still? What appetite is not being satisfied when we feel bored? And what do we normally do to deal with boredom? Do we seek drama or excitement - start an argument, for example, or court danger, or indulge in guilty pleasures? Or do we instead seek to be more accepting of the stillness and use it to gain a resilience to any nagging unwholesome appetites? Do we mindfully distract our attention away from negative judgements when boredom arrives, and direct our awareness towards enjoying a peaceful physical anchor - like riding the waves of our breathing, or exploring the sensations in our feet, or even practising a yoga posture?

If we react to boredom by consciously looking for drama or excitement - indulging in anger or desire in some form, then we can be pretty sure that we do not yet really want true peace in our lives. This will have a direct influence on what happens when we sit down to do formal mindfulness meditation, of course, because boredom becomes a big factor when sitting still - especially when one is beginning to install a daily meditation discipline. If one has the habit of reacting to boredom by creating drama or toxic excitement in one's life in general, then dramatic or exciting thoughts will seek to control and dominate the mind with great force as one sits.

One very effective solution to this problem is to take a compassionate stance towards one's body and the bodies of others around one. Does the human body really like feeling the aggression present in dramatic arguments, or the mania of excitement, or the panic which can quickly emerge from excitement? Does the body really enjoy the stress hormone cortisol - triggered by the fight or flight response - coursing through it's veins? There is a definite answer to the last question - the science says "no" on that front, due to the evidence of all the various negative effects on the body caused by prolonged exposure to cortisol.

So by taking a loving, kind, compassionate stance towards oneself and others, one can consider how long one, and any individual one directly influences, has been exposed to the ravages of cortisol, and whether it is time yet to step out of the wild world of drama and manic panic, and to give all the nervous systems and connected organs in and around you some peace and love.

Is it time yet to drop personal stories of selfish entitlement based around random misfortune, and to build a new story revolving around introducing more peace and compassion into one's life and to the world? The answer our bodies and minds like, of course, is "yes", and yet it can be a daunting path to take, since as the snow-storm of mental chatter quietens down, certain shapes which remind us of the troubles and trials that have shaped us loom out of the fog, frozen in time. With a continued anchoring in the physicality of the present moment, however, we can see those shapes for what they really are - empty phantoms of the mind that need not affect us right here, right now, as we enjoy the peace and relaxation taking place in our bodies.

If you feel you can embrace the peace present in boredom and appreciate any stillness in the here and now as an opportunity to give your body a space to breathe and relax deeply and consciously for a while, then mindfulness meditation should bring positive results for you.

One can read and talk about mindfulness all one likes but that in itself will never get anyone to sleep when they are experiencing insomnia, for example, or help a person to live more comfortably with a chronic pain condition. In fact, just thinking about mindfulness without actually practicing it could bring more anxiety and pain into one's life since the reported positive effects of mindfulness can seem like an empty promise. The words spoken by teachers and on this website are merely pointing to features of the 'mindfulness landscape' in the same way that a map represents a territory, not the territory itself. No one claims a true understanding of a territory from just looking at a map.

The true, useful, effective understanding of the mindfulness landscape is to take a walk through it - by all means with one's favourite map to hand for reference, but with the understanding that it will be one's body that will ultimately hold the purest and most useful knowledge. Just like knowing when to turn to check for on-coming traffic during a regular walk to work, or one's fingers instinctively knowing where the letters are located on one's keyboard, after a while one's body takes on an understanding of a familiar environment just by remaining within that environment - the mind automatically and effortlessly absorbs and retains the relevant information.

The only way to allow one's body to effortlessly gain a true understanding of mindfulness, however, is to immerse oneself in the practice. This immersion, of course, requires a degree of discipline if one wants the most effective results - an initial effort to make mindfulness meditation a routine; to regularly place oneself in the mindfulness landscape. If this feels too much like a chore then maybe the conditions are not yet right for you to benefit from this practice. However, there can come prolonged periods of time in our lives or during our day when everything can seem like a chore, and then we need a way of transcending that situation. Mindfulness meditation has been proven by many scientific studies to help people find such a transcendence, and the key to doing so most effectively is being disciplined in one's formal mindfulness meditation practice; making it a habit and gaining a natural appetite for the extra peace and joy it brings.

The habit of practicing formal mindfulness meditation can be more easily put in place if it is practiced daily, in the morning, and for at least 30 minutes each time. Meditating daily taps into the natural rhythm of our life because most of our lifestyle habits are repeated daily, and by practicing first thing in the morning we ensure that we do not procrastinate. Meditating not long after we wake up can also give us a deep sense of accomplishment for the rest of the day, especially if we can notice its effects still being carried within us in the afternoon or into the evening.

The longer we meditate for, the more we become familiar with mindfulness and see clear positive changes occurring - something which in turn reinforces our discipline because it increases our appetite for mindfulness meditation in general. For this reason, people who meditate regularly for longer periods tend to establish a solid discipline much faster than those who only meditate regularly for shorter periods. A daily meditation discipline can begin with as little as 3 minutes of formal practice, however - whatever amount feels comfortable and suitable. Just doing one's best from day to day can be enough to allow the seed of mindfulness to begin to grow into something more substantial and tangible.

"As citizens, we have a large responsibility. Our daily lives, the way we drink, what we eat, have to do with the world’s political situation. Every day we do things, we are things, that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our lifestyle, our way of consuming, of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment we are alive." - Vietnamese Zen monk and teacher Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life (1991, Rider), p111.