How much time, each day, are we fully aware, consciously aware with what we are doing? Whether it is from the moment we wake up, take a shower or when we are busy doing our daily duties?

At the end of the day, do we still exactly know what we did that same morning, or even what we had for breakfast?

Mindfulness simply means: being aware of what is happening as it is happening in the present.

A word connected with everything we do. Whether we are eating, sleeping or going to the toilet. Mindfulness is nothing but being aware with what we do, in the very moment. Every second of the day. Experience what is really going on, being aware of every single moment, feel, live. We are too much focused on our intellect with everything that goes on in our lives and less and less on what is going on in our heart.

It seems as if we do not want to feel anymore what is happening in our lives. Emotional blockades, stress, being in a hurry, no time left for one and another. These are all excuses not to focus on who we really are.

Because we focus too much on the outside we forget our sense to feel. Going back to our true nature which is only to be found inside. Within ourselves. Connect with our inner world. And from there live and experience everything we have – in this moment, the present moment. In a nutshell what Mindfulness is.

The Mindfulness training is initially set up as an experiment in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, who was working as a microbiologist at the University Hospital in Massachusetts.

The results of his MBSR “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” program were surprising. It did not only reduce the physical symptoms of his patients, but they also felt higher in spirit.

Because Mindfulness can help you get rid of very specific complaints. Symptoms such as stress, loss or grief, burnouts or other stress-related symptoms. But also physical pain or unclear symptoms, of which the doctor cannot help you with can be made visible when starting with Mindfulness.

Even without direct cause or complaints Mindfulness can do a lot for you. You learn how to recognize your own prejudices and how to avoid them, your mind will open up for the rest of the world and you can be so much more with everything that comes on your way.

In The Netherlands, the Radboud University Medical Center of Mindfulness, is doing much scientific research on a permanent base. Some of their key findings on the effects of mindfulness meditation or mindfulness training are:

-There is a decrease in physical and psychological symptoms
-There is a positive change in lifestyle
-Clients are more able to relax

For more information about Mindfulness research from the UMASS Medical School in Massachusetts, USA, click here

Farida Ishak, MBSR-trainer, Yoga Teacher.

After my study in Psychology, various management (support) trainings, working in large international corporate organizations for a significant period of time and regular travels abroad, I gained insight into the fact that we live in a world where it seems to be very important ‘what’ we are nowadays.

What status can we give ourselves just to belong? How much do we sacrifice to possess more material things to reach our “ultimate” state of happiness? Do we need an even better job with more salary, a bigger car, a bigger house? All this can only make us happy from the outside.

Several long intensive retreats in Nepal and India, two countries of extremes where one can find the cradles of great spiritual masters, where the “chaos” we feel to experience is actually keeping everything flowing and ongoing, all this has guided me in these beautiful countries towards several teachers of Mindfulness, Yoga and Meditation for which I am very grateful.

They taught me and made me experience various meditation techniques like Vipassana (meditation to develop analytical ability and insight), Shamata (meditation to develop concentration) and Metta (loving kindness meditation for ourselves and others, even to those who we see as “our enemies”, with the goal of solidarity and joy). Everything I have experienced and learned through intensive programs and retreats, which were quite intense sometimes, I would like to share and transmit to others who possess the curiosity and will to discover themselves.

We live in a society that is mainly focused on our ‘external’ selves and which pays too little attention to our inner selves. Our inner self has no chance to develop when we do not focus on it, causing various mental and physical symptoms to occur and we lose our way in life. Mindfulness, meditation and yoga are means to look at ourselves with open eyes and in an honest way. Who am I really in this world?