Attitudes to Support Mindfulness 

Mindfulness is a way to get to know, accept and love yourself deeply. To help support this it can be helpful to have the below qualities in mind. All these qualities exist with us even if we don’t always recognise (or practice them)

Non Judging 

One thing that is common to notice when you start to pay attention is that we are constantly judging and assessing our experience.  This a very normal and often helpful process, though it can be a little distracting at times (particularly when we are meditating). If you notice a stream of opinions or judgments during meditation there is no need to try to stop them, just try your best not to get caught up in them and try your best not to judge yourself for judging.   Just watch and notice  - allow yourself the space to explore these judgements as they arise and see what you notice about them.  

Patience

"Patience is a form of wisdom (that can be cultivated)." As best you can be patient with your self and be patient with the practice.  The work may take time and it can't be forced. 

Beginners Mind 

Recognising each moment as brand new and paying full attention to it.  We often rob ourselves of the richness of the moment by getting caught up in our thoughts and beliefs of what we know.  The practice of beginners mind is about suspending judgment and seeing things through fresh eyes. 

Trust

Yourself, Your feelings, Your inner wisdom.  Trust that you can make strong decisions for yourself.  Trust that there is more right with you than wrong That you are the expert of you and though sometimes you'll make mistakes you can be trusted to guide your life.  That you'll know what to do (and as you learn more about yourself you'll know some more). 

Non Striving 

Let the meditation do the work.  Mindfulness meditation is the art of paying attention to how things are - without trying to fix or change them.  You don't have to strive to be a certain way or to reach a certain state.  Just direct you're awareness and notice whatever their is to notice. 

 Acceptance 

Accept yourself, everything about yourself.  Even the things you don't like are worthy of love as they are part of you.  This doesn't mean you'll like it all, this doesn't mean you won't change things, this doesn't mean giving up on growth and development.  But acceptance is an important step for healing. 

 Letting Go

Letting go of the need to hold onto the pleasant or fight and push away the unpleasant.  Letting Go of the effort to change things.  Everything will pass with time anyway and if we try to fight to hold on or push things away prematurely then we can cause tension and give them more energy - letting go can help us harmonise our experience. 

Other qualities to consider are  Curiosity, Compassion (for yourself and others) & Humility 

This might seem like a daunting list but as your practice deepens these qualities will be strengthened.  One way to work with these qualities is to focus on one every couple of days and see how it may support your practice (you even may experiment with how you might apply these qualities in your day to day).