Mindfulness - Being fully conscious

Over the last decade, mindfulness has been a huge source of deep realizations, growth and healing for me. Through its practice I learned how to truly own myself, access deeper level of consciousness and bring clarity and peace within me. I wanted to share some of my personal understanding of what mindfulness is, some principles and how you can start practicing.

What is mindfulness

In my mother tongue, mindfulness is : “Pleine conscience”.

It means “full consciousness”.

Being mindful means being fully conscious of the present moment with everything it contains. It happens when you are truly awake, present, aware, connected to yourself and centered.

You are truly awake when you are not on autopilot.

You are present when your brain is open to what really is

(rather than what was or what could be and what will be).

You become aware when you are able to sense, feel, observe, witness and acknowledge everything outside and inside of you.

You are connected to yourself when you are able to sense, feel, observe, witness and acknowledge everything inside of you. Including your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, memories, tensions, discomfort…etc.

You are centered when you have no judgement or reaction over what you sense, feel, observe, witness and acknowledge.

When you are fully conscious of the present moment, you feel how rich and alive the world is. You feel your own presence with gentleness, humility and kindness.

When you are fully conscious, you can witness everything from the point of view of an observer. Everything opens for you to see and experience life clearly inside and outside for what it truly is and not what it "should be” or what your ego “think” it is.

From there you can finally let go and accept the experience called life as a harmonious whole : yourself, others, what was, what is, what will be and enjoy it all in the present.

You then do not need to control or manipulate anything from your ego’s programs and points of view, judgements, fears, lacks and expectations.

You are calm, at peace with everything. You experience true freedom, bliss, gratitude and true love.

You then are able to open new perspectives and see your life through angles that would have been scary before. You can feel more confident exploring your own shadows.

As you start to see more clearly how you function, you get to know and accept yourself better. If you do, you then can understand and accept others.

Making this kind of experience regularly will help you become more clear with who you truly are, what you truly need and want.

From there it is way easier to heal and create a nurturing life made of real choices based on your own consciousness, your own nature and intimate experience of life rather than on what you’ve learned or bought from others.

Consciousness is a place where you can see yourself, life, the world without judgement, emotion, blame, shame, lie, regret. It is a place where unconditional love can grow.

We cannot avoid emotions, pain or the challenges of life but we can avoid making it worse and creating suffering. Consciousness is what will save you from suffering.

How about you? How mindful are you, usually, in your daily life? What would you do differently or create in your life if you were fully conscious? How would it feel?

How to practice mindfulness

Ways of practicing mindfulness are endless. The following are just some ideas based on my own experience.

• Check in with yourself regularly during the day, ask yourself the following questions and find your answers to them :

Am I being present?

Where is my mind right now?

What kind of thoughts do I have? Are they positives or negatives?

Am I breathing properly?

Can I feel my heart beating?

What do I truly feel inside?

• A meal, a shower or a walk can be the perfect moment to practice mindfulness. Slow down, pay attention to the present moment, open your senses and get in touch with your perceptions.

• Practice journaling, yoga, mindful breathing and or meditation regularly if possible everyday, when you wake up and/or when you go to bed.

The practice of mindfulness is simple but it can be truly challenging without adapted guidance. You might need some support at the beginning. I am here if it is the case.

What I can help you with:

• getting a better sense of how it works, how your brain works when it comes to relaxation.

• identifying the different levels of consciousness.

• identifying where you are at and what your next step is.

• creating a routine.

Do not hesitate to reach out to me and schedule a session

Romain Bester