Free Mindfulness by Gill Hasson

space . Don't plan things close together — instead, leave room between activities and tasks. This makes your day more flexible, and leaves space in case one thing takes longer than you planned.
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    The Slow Movement
    The Slow Movement shares some common values with mindfulness.
    It proposes a slowing down of the pace of life. The Slow Movement began with Carlo Petrini's protest against the opening of a fast food restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome in 1986.
    Slow Food www.slowfood.org.uk was founded in 1989 as an antidote to the rise of fast food and fast life. Its aim was to support and defend good food, the enjoyment of eating and a slow pace of life. It then broadened to encompass a wider quality of life and sustainability and environmental issues.
    Slow Food developed into other areas, such as Slow Food Kids – an interactive experience for children to experience all five senses and to explore and enjoy food – Citta Slow (Slow Cities) Slow Gardening, Slow Travel, Slow Design, Slow Art, Slow Media and Slow Fashion.
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    Flow
    Slowing down and focusing on one thing at a time, being mindful in your daily activities and routines, all help train your mind to be in the present. But is there a way to keep effortlessly focused for long periods? Something that can give you a real break from everyday concerns, from dwelling on the past and worrying about the future? Yes, there is. It's called “flow”.
    Flow refers to time spent doing something that keeps you focused and engaged. It involves bringing your complete attention to the present experience.
    Have you ever sat down, started a job or activity, and become so absorbed in what you were doing that time passed without your notice? You thought of nothing else; as you concentrated and focused, your awareness merged with the activity and you were “living in the moment”. If so, then you achieved that state of mind known as “flow”.
    Psychology Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his colleagues began researching flow during the 1980s and 1990s, after Csikszentmihalyi became intrigued by artists who appeared to lose themselves in their work.
    In interviews with Csikszentmihalyi, many described their “flow” experiences using the metaphor of a water current carrying them along.
    Csiksczentmihalyi suggests that with flow activities, your brain is fully occupied with one absorbing activity. This makes it difficult for your mind to wander off or for thoughts about the past or future to find their way into your head.
    He says that the mind “with nothing to do, begins to follow random patterns, usually stopping to consider something painful or disturbing”. However, a mind in a state of flow is so engaged there is no room for undesirable thoughts.
    There are eight aspects to a state of flow:
    1. Clear goals each step of the way.
    2. Immediate feedback – knowing you are doing it properly.
    3. A balance between challenge and skills.
    4. The merging of action and awareness.
    5. No fear of failure.
    6. No feeling of self-consciousness.
    7. Sense of time distorted.
    8. The emphasis is on the experience, not the result.
    Goals need to be clearly defined so that you always know your next step. So, for example, if you are following a recipe, you need to have an idea of what the finished dish will look and taste like. If you are training to be an engineer, you need to know what level of skills and qualifications you are aiming for. Or, if you are training for a marathon, you need to know what speed and pace you need to run to successfully complete 26 miles.
    With flow, you receive direct and immediate feedback. When you know what you have done well and what you haven't done well, you can seamlessly adjust your behaviour. Taste what you're cooking and you'll know if something needs to be changed or added. Record your running times and you'll know the extent to which you need to improve.
    There has to be a balance between challenge