FAQ's
What is Mindfulness?
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The definition of mindfulness is:
“The basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
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The word mindfulness is simple. It suggests that the mind is fully aware of what’s happening, to what you’re doing, to the space you’re moving through. As opposed to worrying about what might happen in the future or ruminating about what has already happened. Mindfulness can help us to be more aware of any tendencies to be reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on around us, grounding ourselves in those moments when they arise.
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Our mind can fly away, out of the body, and then all too quickly we can be sucked into obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or worrying about the future. This can make us stressed or anxious. Mindfulness is a practical way of snapping us back into the moment to where we are and what we’re doing and feeling.
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If you really want to know what mindfulness is, it’s best to practice it everyday. Week by week the Breathe2B course will build students knowledge and give them the opportunity to practice of these often simple yet highly effective techniques.
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We all have the capacity to be mindful, it is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to magic-up, you just have to learn how to access it. While mindfulness is innate, it can be cultivated through proven techniques.
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We gradually learn to direct our attention in a more focused way to whatever is actually happening - whether it be our breathing, the sensations in our body, thoughts and feelings, or everyday activities.
Why are breathing techniques included in the Breathe2B Programme?
Research shows that different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing, and so changing how we breathe can change how we feel. For example, when you feel joy, your breathing will be regular, deep and slow. If you feel anxious or angry, your breathing will be irregular, short, fast, and shallow.
How does this work?
Changing the rhythm of your breath can signal relaxation, slowing your heart rate and stimulating the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain stem to the abdomen, and is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s “rest and digest” activities (in contrast to the sympathetic nervous system, which regulates many of our “fight or flight” responses). Triggering your parasympathetic nervous system helps you start to calm down.
You feel better. And your ability to think rationally returns.
To get an idea of how breathing can calm you down, try changing the ratio of your inhale to exhale.
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What is the point of mindfulness?
Mindfulness training has been shown to significantly improve health and wellbeing. Having taken a mindfulness course, people have reported that they are able to learn new information more effectively, think more clearly and feel calmer and less anxious.
Specific mindfulness courses are now recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, and GPs are referring adults on to eight-week mindfulness courses to reduce stress and help prevent recurrent depression. It is increasingly being used in the workplace to improve staff wellbeing and satisfaction, in sports training to improve performance, and with children and young people to enhance wellbeing, learning, and behaviour management.
Is mindfulness difficult?
Mindfulness is simple, we just need to remember to do it! At first the mind tends to wander constantly, but with practice we learn to sustain our attention and direct it more skilfully.
This helps break the grip of unhelpful mental habits, judgements and impulses, making way for greater calm, and for more helpful, kinder and rational thinking about all aspects of life. However, it takes practice.
Why is there a suggested teacher prerequisite?
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Prior to teaching the Breathe2B curriculum it is suggested that all teachers complete an 8-week Mindfulness Stress Based Reduction course (MBSR), we offer a fully guided course through our online platform.
The reason for the prerequisite training, lies with integrity. Before you teach these methods, you too must have experienced similar practices. Teachers must have an embodied experience to be able to successfully guide their students.