Jack has had a life-long involvement in philosophy, mindfulness & personal development. He has studied at Carlow College, The Dublin School of Philosophy, the IICP Dublin and has extra-mural certification from Maynooth University in Counselling and Social Science.
He is currently engaged in hosting seminars and courses for the general public, along with commissioned projects for groups and companies.
An Introduction to Mindfulness
The object of Mindfulness is for our mind and our body to live in the same place at the same time.
It is as simple or as complicated as that.
Our physical body can not be in more than one place at the same time, but because our mind is a nonphysical entity - it has the ability to roam freely in any space it chooses - and the important words are ‘it chooses’.
When we begin to be aware of this - perhaps for the first time - we realise that for the vast majority of our waking lives our thoughts are anywhere other than this present moment and that we have not chosen where our mind is just now.
Because we are creatures of emotion rather than creatures of logic - we are deeply affected by the thoughts and day dreams running in our mind and we find ourselves frequently divided within.
An example might be of walking through a beautiful woodland setting, the sun shining, the birds singing and the scent of wild flowers in the air - and we are feeling miserable!
At that moment, however legitimate we may think that out thoughts or misery may be, we can at least become aware of this divide within us - and that is the beginning of Mindfulness.
From that moment onwards we have a choice. The decision is now within our power to make.
We can decide to fully embrace the beautiful space in which we are moving and let the warmth of the sun caress our skin, the song of the birds flow into our minds, the scent of the forest pervade our sense of smell or remain within the confined prison of our thoughts and embrace our misery.
All through history, right back to the dawn of humanity, all the wise people have been trying to convey this message to us - you are not your thoughts, your true nature is to be happy, fully aware of yourself, and your life is based on truth.
An important part of becoming mindful - or aware - is to take care of what we put into our minds. Just as good food and proper exercise help our body to be healthy, it is vital that we fill our minds with positive and healthy thoughts.
It is my sincere wish that this knowledge will provide some good and positive mental nourishment for your Mindful journey.