Mindfulness is a practice that trains our minds to live more in the present and to have less judgment for ourselves and our experiences. Why is this important? If you think about when you most suffer, you’ll probably notice that it’s when your mind time travels to the future, worrying, trying to predict things that are uncertain, being afraid. Or to the past, going over painful experiences that can no longer be changed.

With mindfulness we train our minds to come back to the present with a kind of calm attention that allows us to see that everything is OK right now. We also practice letting go of judgment in a way that lets us know that we are OK just as we are. This frees us up to fully engage in our lives in a way that enables us to fully enjoy what is here, moment to moment rather than let our lives pass us by lost in unhelpful thought.

Thousands of scientific studies show that if we practice mindfulness for between 6 and 8 weeks regularly, the make up of our brain actually changes so that we experience less stress and anxiety, and increased sense of connection to others and an overall sense of better wellbeing.

Creating this practice can be very difficult to do without the guidance, support and knowledge of a professional teacher. This is why signing up to a course may be for you.

A mindfulness practice can support therapy in a way that enables more long lasting benefits. It can also become therapeutic in itself creating a mental resilience that can greatly improve quality of life in all areas.

Through International Therapy’s sister company, Living Mindfully, Jessica Bigogno has trained hundreds of people in mindfulness through her certified courses.