Meet Acacia

Hi! I'm Acacia. I'm a mum, a coach, a meditation and yoga teacher and a mindfulness facilitator. I have a degree in psychology, an advanced certificate in meditation and mindfulness and specialisations in pre and post-natal yoga, yoga for birth and mindful eating. 

I've been in the wellness sphere for nearly 15 years.  

Mindfulness is a non-judgmental, compassionate and purposeful awareness of the present moment. Put simply, it's paying attention with kindness to what is occurring in your surroundings as well as internally (sensations, feelings, emotions and thoughts).

Can such a simple practice really be life changing? 

Yes! 

Habitually, we try to block difficult emotions. We label them as 'bad' and pleasant emotions as 'good' and chase the goodies and fight the baddies - but this is not the most effective way to deal with our emotions. Usually, this means numbing, blocking, avoiding or ignoring emotions through things that feel good in the moment but may not bring us benefit in the long run, like eating, drinking, taking drugs, sleeping, scrolling,  getting angry (instead of feeling sadness, for example), fighting, blaming, criticising, yelling, exercising, dieting, shopping .. you get the drift. All of these habitual tendencies to block out what's here stop us experiencing life fully, and often lead to more problems. 

So often, our own thoughts and beliefs create the suffering or dissatisfaction we feel about a particular situation, or life in general. Evidence has shown us that actually, what we resist, persists so when we practice mindfulness, we practice accepting what is here right now. We allow the past to stay in the past, the future to stay in the future, and bring awareness to what is here, right now, without judgment. 

When we do this, we decrease stress and allow life, and all it's storms, to come and go with ease. As a result, we are less shaken by the things that are not within our control, and we are able to change that which is. 

While life can be challenging, it is ever-changing and every single moment is not hard. Mindfulness allows us to appreciate the moments that bring us joy, and equally rest in the knowing that those that bring us anguish or difficulty are not permanent - we learn to ride the waves. Being mindful of our emotions means we learn to feel them fully, we learn to feel their pain without following the urge to escape, and slowly we trust that we are able to deal with what life throws at us. This is immensely liberating. 

Once we build the confidence to deal with our emotions and life in all its messy glory head on, we no longer need to worry about what may happen, we can let go of control and the tension that has lived permanently inside can melt away. We trust life, and most importantly, we trust ourself. 

Although it's easy to think we can control our thoughts and emotions, we really can't. Do this: For the next two minutes, I want you to think of nothing. Whenever a thought comes, make it go away. Make sure you don't have any thoughts. 

How did you go? 

Now, try this: Look around you and identify 5 things you can see. Notice 4 things you can hear. Name 3 things you can feel. Notice 2 smells. Identify 1 taste. What happened to your thoughts? 

What is meditation? 

Meditation is a mindfulness practice (like the 5 4 3 2 1 practice above) that allows us to practice bringing our attention back to the present moment. Often, meditation uses the breath or another focus point (like sound) to anchor us to the present moment when our mind wanders (which it inevitably does). (I highlight the word practice because so often people think they're doing it wrong because they're thinking during meditation - but I want to reassure you the goal isn't to stop thinking, it's to practice bringing our attention back to the present when we do).

Practicing meditation regularly can have physical and emotional benefits like:

- stress reduction (including reducing the physical inflammation associated with stress)

- reduced anxiety

- improved coping

- decreased reactivity

- improved mood including helping with feelings of depression

- increased self-awareness

- cognitive effects like improved attention and memory

- increased compassion and self-compassion

- improved sleep

- controlling pain

- decreased blood pressure. 

You can practice mindfulness without meditation, but you can't meditate without mindfulness. Meditation practice increases benefits of mindfulness faster than without - it's like doing a workout for your mind. 

But it's not for everyone - if you're experiencing current active psychosis, have been instructed by a therapist or doctor not to meditate, experience deep depressive states, experience panic attacks and mindfulness increases symptoms, you have active PTSD symptoms or you start meditating and psychological symptoms worsen - then now isn't the best time to meditate. Speak to your healthcare professional and reach out when they believe you're ready.