Mindfulness is able to address so many different issues that it is difficult to mention them all in a short blog. The general categories are physical, mental and emotion(and for some, spiritual even though I teach the secular version) and apply to health issues as well as learning, performance, leadership and just about every other kind of experience. When learning mindfulness one of the first things we address is the attitude of non striving. We are not trying to change anything, rather we are opening up to the full experience of what is happening in the present moment. Of course we really are trying to change things and make things better in some way for us. The paradox in mindfulness is that the harder we try to change things the more they stay the same or get worse. An athlete will always say that they are better off when they let the game come to them rather than force it. It is the same thing with all aspects of life and takes some practice in letting go of old ways and trusting in the new. We are enlisting the cooperation of the body in creating the right circumstances for positive change. The principle involved here is that the body has the ability to self heal and re align itself if given a chance.
Stress plays a huge role in preventing us from reaching our full potential. When we go into a stress reaction there is a tendency to disconnect as a protective mechanism. We are actually hard wired to disconnect in these situations. The real problem occurs when we get stuck in the disconnect of fight or flight. As a result of this disconnection we go down the rabbit hole and experience the sequence of dis-attention, disconnection, dis-communication, dis-regulation, disorder and disease. This has been demonstrated in numerous studies and speaks loudly of the ramifications of unresolved stress. All of the issues that come up as a result of this sequence are merely symptoms, not causes. As we all know, the most effective way to address an issue is by addressing the cause, not the symptom. The cause is the disconnection not the issue/issues.
In mindfulness the practice is about paying attention moment by moment to whatever is happening regardless of the quality of the experience….to be completely inclusive. We do this for the sake of re connecting to ourselves and the world around us. It defines a new sequence of attention, connection, communication, regulation, order and ease. This is of course the exact opposite of the sequence that is working against us…dis-attention, disconnection, dis-communication, dis-regulation, disorder and disease. So we see that by addressing the true cause of disconnection we can bypass addressing all the symptoms/issues and go right to the heart of creating an environment of experiencing our full potential.