by Dr. Shlomie Zimmerman

Mindfulness / mediation is one of the best practices to help improve a person’s ability to focus on the present.

The chatterbox in the mind keeps it from focusing on the present. Thoughts and feelings constantly pop up and draw a person’s consciousness away from the present. With regular mindfulness practice a person can get better at keeping their focus on the present.

To do so, it is essential to allow thoughts and feelings to arise, notice them without judging them or getting entangled with them, and let them pass. For many individuals, focusing on their breath – the sensations of inhaling and exhaling- helps anchor them in the present.

By focusing on the breath, one can cultivate attention on the body and mind as it is moment-to-moment, and alleviate pain, both physical and emotional. Being able to be conscious of oneself and the moment are the foundations of well-being.

These practices can be expanded so that they help create distance between the chatterbox / yetzer hara in the mind and the self. By observing the thoughts and feelings that arise within, an individual can realize they are not their thoughts or feelings, they are the “observer.” Whenever, one finds themselves identifying or getting entangled with thoughts and feelings, try to pull back into the “observer position.” Try to move from being taken in by them to just watching them.

To make this easier, you can start by listening to one of our recorded, guided mindfulness practices each day, until you feel the confidence to do it on your own. Click here for a special audio clip prepared by GYE that can help you practice mindfulness.