Mindfulness is a form of self-awareness that I will describe as "a state of being in the present moment and accepting things for what they are without judgement".

This concept was originally taken from Buddhist meditation teachings, but it has been adapted for use in the treatment of depression and for assisting with mood regulation, and has been found to have considerable health benefits.

When you are mindful, your awareness is in the current moment. You become keenly aware of yourself and your surroundings, but you simply observe these things as they are. You are aware of your own thoughts and feelings, but you do not react to them in the way that you would if you were on "autopilot". It’s like a form of alert meditation that you can absorb yourself in at any time, or all the time. 

Most of them time we live our lives on "autopilot". Our minds seem to have a will of their own. Thoughts come and go, and it seems as though we don’t have much say in what thoughts turn up in our head.

If each of us were to stand back and observe our own mind, we would notice how easily our thoughts skip from one unfinished idea to the next, constantly interrupting each other and overlapping in a constant stream of pictures, ideas, memories and desires.

Through mindfulness you learn to "take a step back" and observe all this mental activity and all the feelings and impulses that it causes, and you begin to separate yourself from their influence.

This is the Essence of Mindfulness.

When you are mindful, you become a relaxed witness to your inner life, and you are freed from being constantly affected by all your mental activity and by all your judgements about the world and everything that’s taking place within it.

"Observation" is the key word here. You consciously observe your thoughts and feelings, rather than allowing yourself to swim around in them. The moment you become aware and conscious in this way, you are living in the moment, and not on autopilot.

At first this feels like you are creating a sense of space within yourself. With time and practice it opens up a whole new dimension of freedom, relaxation and stillness. 

When you are mindful, you get to choose how you react to life.

So often, judgement is not just fruitless, it’s also harmful to yourself. If (for example) you have just reacted with anger towards another driver, then stop and realize that there is nothing you can do to change what has just happened. The event has come and gone. You’d probably rather not be feeling angry, and yet you are. This makes you even angrier. You are probably blaming the other driver for making you feel this way and yet, you are the one who CHOSE anger as your reply to their actions. Remember. . . 

"You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished BY your anger."

- Buddha -

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Mindfulness is "allowing", and allowing emotions to come and go is one of the most powerful ways to relieve yourself of inner turmoil.

As Sogyal Rinpoche writes in his book, "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying":

"The practice of mindfulness defuses our negativity, aggression, and turbulent emotions…..Rather than suppressing emotions or indulging in them, here it is important to view them, and your thoughts, and whatever arises with an acceptance and generosity that are as open and spacious as possible." 

Meditation and mindfulness go hand in hand, and the practice of one strengthens the other. But unlike other relaxation techniques, mindfulness can be developed to the point where it can be practiced right in the middle of stressful situations. While being mindful you can still remain alert and respond appropriately to the situation at hand, but without resorting to your autopilot and reacting.

By practicing mindfulness, you will find that you accumulate far less mental noise during the course of the day. You will begin to feel calmer and clearer as you go about your activities, and when it comes time for you to practice your daily meditation, you will find that you are already quiet-minded to begin with.

As a result, you will find it much easier to enter into a state of deep meditation, as you have less mental clutter to work through.

Just as the practice of mindfulness enhances your ability to meditate, the practice of deep meditation strengthens your ability to be mindful, so that during the course of the day, you pick up even less and less mental chatter.

Meditation and Mindfulness are completely synergistic and complementary.