Maybe the easiest way to answer this question is to identify what mindfulness is not.
Mindfulness is not being all wrapped up in the millions of thoughts that are going through your mind while you are doing something else. It is not about judging yourself, others, or the world around you. It is not thinking about the past or worrying about the future. It is not being on mental autopilot, unaware of what your inner world is.
Mindfulness is about being fully present and engaged in the moment at hand.
Why is this so valuable? You might wonder what difference does it make if you are thinking about the past or all the things that you need to do today and tomorrow and next week? You’re sorting out your inner world. What’s wrong with that?
It's true that there is a time and place for these things. And you can do them in a focused, purposeful way when you choose to. The problem is when all of those distractions are happening while you are doing other things at the same time.
A Busy Mind
When your mind is busy with competing demands on your attention, interfering outcomes get in the way of what you really want to accomplish. The more your mind is cluttered with distractions, especially if they are negative, the more stress you put on your physical, emotional and mental systems. That stress is real in the body. It changes your physiology, hormones, and chemistry. These changes can put the body into states that lead to illness and discomfort. They can create irritability and emotional reactivity. They can create lack of focus. It can cause you to make mistakes that lead to inefficiency and frustration. And all of this creates more stress. It becomes a never-ending loop.
Unbusying the Mind with Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a way to help clear the mind and create better harmony in the body, leading to a better state of health and well-being. The mind is more calm, focused, and relaxed. This leads to being more efficient and competent in your tasks. And ultimately there is more peace, freedom, and enjoyment in your life.
Here's the simple answer to what mindfulness is:
Mindfulness is being engaged fully and completely in the present moment. It is clearing the mind of extraneous clutter and focusing on your activity at hand. And often it is a state of being rather than doing.
It sounds easy, but how do you do that? That is the big conundrum
Our Intention
We believe that genuine well-being is a multi-faceted, lifelong pursuit that cannot be attained with a silver bullet cure-all.
We view our extracts as tools to be used in pursuit of a better life. But tools without purpose or used in the absence of intention fail to reach their potential. Thus was born the Wellness Log: a means to redirect well-being back towards a pursuit of intention and active participation.
It is our intention with this Wellness Log to create the beginnings of a journey into a lifelong practice of mindfulness. There is a wealth of information out there to learn and apply to your daily living. It's our hope that we can open the door to this journey and help you begin your process of exploring yourself. The Wellness Log is a simple introduction and a wonderful way to unify your experience of mindfulness with your experience of our tinctures.
