ABSTRACT
There are many benefits of practising mindfulness including increased self-compassion and compassion for others. Cultivating mindfulness can help you in being fully present in client work and in the personal development group, so that you notice more of how you feel and respond. Tara Fox explores these ideas in this chapter and draws on her experience of running PD groups over the years. She attempts to demystify the meaning of the ‘here and now’ by presenting mindfulness as a helpful practical tool. She encourages you to have compassion for yourselves through the activities presented in the chapter. The chapter covers what mindfulness is and discusses how being in the present moment is both a gift and a personal challenge. She explains the Seven Pillars of Mindfulness and encourages readers to recognise and break old habits so as to shift out of the ‘automatic pilot’ mode. The chapter contains useful exercises throughout to help you become more self-aware, ‘visit the now’, be mindful, more self-compassionate and to encourage engagement with the material.
