Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an approach to life which can help to give you more satisfaction and a feeling of fulfilment. This way of living focuses on living in the moment and being a non judgemental and more open person. Becoming more mindful will mean that you are more in tune with what is happening in the present day and more alive within yourself.

Mindfulness originates from the Buddhist religion although you do not have to have particular beliefs to practice being mindful. Mindful based stress reduction and cognitive therapy are programmes which adapt mindfulness to help treat long term health conditions.

How can mindfulness benefit you?

  • The technique can allow you to take your mind away from a negative or stressful situation, for example, you can focus on your breathing which will allow you to understand the situation around you more retrospectively
  • You will be more mindful of your own body, if, for example, you feel your head getting sore quickly, you can react faster and eliminate the problem before it gets worse
  • You will be more proactive in choosing how to respond to a stressful situation – in this way, you will learn to react in a more level headed way

How to get involved

  • Book onto a mindfulness course run by the counselling and psychological services. These courses will help you to understand how mindfulness can be used to reduce stress. Click here  for more information
  • If you are an undergraduate student from the College of Social Sciences you could also book onto mindfulness classes that run throughout the year on Wellbeing Wednesdays
  • Or try one of the 8 week courses run by Mindfulness Glasgow
  • During the summer, the University also offers a 4 day course on Mindfulness and Buddhism  to help you to understand the roots of mindfulness and how it can be integrated into everyday life
  • You can also speak to your GP about services in your area
  • To get started on your own, you can try using a meditation app (see below) or mindfulness colouring book
  • Find Buddhist groups around Glasgow to help you get started

Useful resources

  • A quick introduction to mindfulness is provided by Breath Works Scotland through this short clip
  • The website run by Mindfulness Scotland looks at what mindfulness is and how it can benefit you
  • The app 'insight timer'  offers over 4,000 guided meditations that you can access on your mobile. These meditations will help you to become more mindful and compassionate
  • Or try 'Aura', this app gives you a personalised 3 minute meditation to complete each day, this can be useful to motivate yourself to get into the habit of meditating regularly
  • For a more in-depth look, you can consult the 'Mind' charity booklet on mindfulness
  • The NHS website has an in depth section on the different practices involved in mindfulness, take a look here

Contact information