Be Mindful. Mindfulness is such a simple concept but it is so powerful.

We have written a couple of articles on Mindfulness (How To Practice The Art of Mindfulness and Mindful Eating) which proved popular here and on our previous version of this site. I’ve also recently had a couple of readers who have asked for more on the subject which brings us to this article.

Rather than write another article on Mindfulness either from myself or Isabelle (which one of us will almost certainly do at some point because we love this subject too) I thought with this article, instead, I’d provide some further resources on the subject which we have found interesting and inspiring – the mix of articles below offers a few different perspectives on the subject, covering What Is Mindfulness, How to Be Mindful, Relaxation & Meditation, and some of the Benefits of Mindfulness.

Our favourite quote on Mindfulness (which you may see from time to time on the top right of our site) comes from Jon Kabat-Zinn and is this: “The present is the only time that any of us have to be alive, to know anything, to perceive, to learn, to act, to change, to heal.”

Mindfulness promotes the idea of living in the present moment – as the great Mahatma Ghandi once said, “The future depends upon what we do now.”

In case you need more of a recap you can read our article How To Practice The Art Of Mindfulness which contains a great video from the aforementioned Jon Kabat-Zinn, otherwise please check out any of the following articles – every one of them will inspire you:

1. We begin with a beautifully written article from Leo Babauta – simple yet practical – the perfect introduction to get us started!
   

   Zen Habits: 9 Mindfulness Rituals to Make Your Day Better (Leo Babauta)

2. I’m not so sure about the Kermit The Frog quote ;-), but Ian’s article brings together some great other quotes and explores the subject of Mindfulness in a poetic and inspiring way. As he says in his article: You lack nothing in this moment.
   

   Soul Seeds: The Time Is Always Now (Ian Lawton)

3. This post is interesting because it gives the Buddhist perspective on Mindfulness. Obviously you don’t have to be into Buddhism to appreciate the benefits of Mindfulness but it is interesting to get some of the Buddhist teachings related to this fascinating subject.
   

   A Guide To Buddhism (Shambhala Publications): Mindfulness (Bhante Gunaratana)

4. Reading this made me think of a quote ‘Be kind, it’s one way of being wise’. I checked it up, in actual fact the quote (from Sidonie) is ‘Be happy. It’s one way of being wise’ – but I think it could just as easily apply to being kind. Anyway, Leo explains here his take on the connection between Kindness and Mindfulness – another great article.
   

   Zen Habits: Kindfully + Mindfully (Leo Babauta)

5. Another practical and inspiring article, this time from Gail Brenner who invites you to ask yourself 3 questions to de-clutter your mind: 1) Do I need this? Is it essential or necessary? 2) Does it serve me? Is it helpful or useful? 3) Am I attached to it? Can I let it go?
   

   A Flourishing Life: A Simple Guide To Decluttering Your Mind (Gail Brenner)

6. I’ve just discovered this site whilst doing research for this article but I really like it (hence having two entries here, there could easily be more), Laura clearly knows this subject well and writes really clear and inspiring articles.
   

   LauraSchenck.com: 15 Benefits of Cultivating Mindfulness (Laura Schenck)

7. I love the name of this site – The Concious Life – and it’s got a lot of great advice and articles you should check out. This article in particular deals with Meditation and within that Mindfulness (check out Ninja Trick #3).
   

   The Concious Life: How To Meditate Anytime, Anywhere (Wee Peng Ho)

8. As Laura quite rightly points out in this article, when you slow down, you often end up getting more things done. She also covers some of the science around Mindfulness when she explains that “…you can actively stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to regain a mindful balance of calm and alertness”.
   

   LauraSchenck.com: Slow Down… Become Mindful (Laura Schenck)

9. This article is not an article all about Mindfulness in the same sense as most of those above, but it is a fascinating account, specifically related to Mindfulness and how due to a brain injury one woman was forced to ‘live out of her right brain for a while’ which is all about the right here and right now and interpreting our experience of ourselves in the world through the senses. It thinks in pictures and connects us to everything around us through its’ consciousness. Mindfulness. It’s a fascinating read. Debbie goes on to describe a concept of not letting the left brain bully the right brain (which is done through meditation and mindfulness).
   

   The Best Brain Possible: The Heaven And Hell Inside Your Head (Debbie Hampton)

10. Yes it’s the name of both the site and the post. This one is actually a 4 minute video, well worth watching where Jon Kabat-Zinn explains Mindfulness beautifully (as he always seems to).
    

    What Meditation Really Is: What Meditation Really Is (Interview With Jon Kabat-Zinn)

11. The title alone of this article is inspirational. It’s a great post where Sandra invites us to join her in her experiment of seeing (which in case you hadn’t realised is an experiment in Mindfulness).
    

    Always Well Within: Stop The World And See (Sandra Pawula)

12. To finish with a great article from Bernie Schreck – “When we are mindful we also become aware of being aware.” – Bernie describes how one of his teachers explained the difference between mind and mindfulness. He defined mind as “what is conscious, cognizant and aware” and mindfulness as “what is aware of being aware”.
    

    What Meditation Really Is: Does Your Mind Need A Hug? (Bernie Schreck)

I hope you got as much enjoyment from the above articles (or at least some of them) as I did. I really enjoyed putting the above list together. Do you have any more great mindfulness articles, podcasts, videos to add to the above list? If so, please do share these in the comments below.