Real Health Podcast: The power of being present with Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin

Modern life is full of distractions, so sitting down and being present in the moment can take a huge amount of effort. At times we all feel like we’re being pulled in every direction and the daily demands can become overwhelming.

How can we claw back a bit of time and start to become more mindful of ourselves and our place in the world? This week on Real Health, I’m joined by Niall Breslin, aka Bressie, to chat about why being mindful can help us become more self-aware and at peace in a world that wants us to be anything but.

Niall says being mindful can be a challenge these days and even understanding what it truly is to be mindful can be difficult to fully appreciate.

“The thing is, the modern world has conditioned us to be anything but mindful. It doesn't want us mindful... They want you on autopilot...that's why it feels so difficult and foreign to people to try and sit with silence and just focus on the breath...The definition of mindless, and this is the most important thing, is pay attention to the present moment. But the most important part of that is without judgment or non-judgment.

What does being fully present mean or look like in practice?

“There's many different ways to do it and in ways that suit you, it's learning to practice it informally”, Niall says.

“Start with the coffee, taste the coffee, smell it. Feel it going into your chest. Sit with it for ten breaths and just start teaching yourself what it feels like to be present and why that's so powerful.

“The definition I use, especially with teenagers who [say] that definition doesn't mean a lot to them, I say; step into an ice cold shower and the minute that water cuts the arse off you, are you thinking about yesterday or what you have to do tomorrow?

“You become utterly present."

We also chat about grounding ourselves, how to challenge that negativity bias and why concentrating on your breathing mightn’t work for everyone.

For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: https://www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-real-health-podcast/

And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie.

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The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.