For a definition of spirituality
Mindfulness is an ancient contemplative skill and lifestyle attitude rooted in Avalokiteshvara teaching of the PranjaParamita. It is a state of open-minded attention on the unreality of the present.
When you're mindful, you know that you are not your body, that you exist apart from your body and its mind. You are aware that the body's mind feels things, it experiences things, much of which are due to culturally conditioned thinking, much are due to chemical triggers and blood serum levels - all have to do with the body and body-mind. When you are mindful, you observe your body-mind's thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad, all the while aware of the relative reality of it all.
Mindfulness means living in the moment, awake to learn from experience.
Mindfulness is not a way of thinking
Mindfulness is an attitude, a filter to thinking. We are here, experiencing a human life in a human body with its human brain, neurons and programmable mind. We should not (probably cannot) try to escape it because these are our Godgiven tools required for learning in the school of life. We do however owe it to our young spirit or old soul to not be a victim to body-mind and the body's sensations. We must, by all means, live full and authentic lives in the body all the while employing the proper filters to learn from the body, learn through the body.
Mindfulness is that attitude that sanctifies what experiences we allow into our soul-mind, and what we make of our life in the body.
Mindfulness is the opposite of clearing the mind
The focus of Wayist mindfulness training is on allowing the mind and body sensations to come as they wish, but to sanctify that sensual experience - make it meaningful, but if not, discard it, ignore it.
If you were a worker in a kindergarten you would know all about what I am saying here. You are surrounded by incessant noise. Some of those noises are important triggers that do require your attention but because of the overload of sounds, you will not hear those unless you learn to listen for those noises only, and to basically stop hearing the environment as experienced by your ears.
Wayist mindfulness training and retreats are wonderfully busy, sensuous, sensory experiences for the body - yet most peaceful and serene for the soul. This is the foundation of Sacred Sensuality.
Mindfulness is soul-mind at work
Body-mind and its emotions, analyses, egoistic chatter and the sensations from the body - all are the noise of our environment. From that, soul-mind learns. From that, soul-mind allows only a certain portion of experiences and feeling in to add to its permanent databank of wisdom—wisdom that will remain with us for the rest of our lives - which will be more than 10,000 earth years.
Soul-mind is your core, your center. Not unlike the imagery of the hurricane, soul-mind sits in the eye of the storm while all havoc goes about outside. Take in only that which is considered soul food, let the rest fly. Take action calmly, as soul-mind is calm and relaxed by nature (it has seen many, many lives go by) and only when wisdom of the situation has settled in.
In the midst of all the craziness that body, body-mind and her emotions and needs create, amidst the troubles that our lifestyles inflict upon us (imbalance in work-life, borrowing to buy things we cannot afford with mortgages, debts, credit cards, etc), always take the calm center and watch, and learn, and filter the mess from the real issues. In many ways the calm soul sits and watches a war about us, a war for possession of your body-mind, war for a larger cut of your paycheck, battles for your dedication to product labels, needs, greeds and more. Mindfulness happens from the center - maintain that.
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