This article first appeared The Frontiersaman What is mindfulness, and why is it important? I would like to begin to answer this question experientially; as you read this article pause for a moment, and pay attention to your breathing.  Breathing in, just notice you are breathing in, breathing out, notice you are breathing out. Where in your body do you feel the breath? As you observe your breath does it change?  If so, what else happens?  Focus your attention on your belly.  At this very moment, what do you observe about your belly? Is it relaxed, tight, or tense? Does it move freely as you breathe?  Without passing judgment, just feel your belly breathing.  Notice how your hands are holding this newspaper. Notice your posture as well as your lower back, shoulders, and neck.  Notice your breath. This is a simple example of mindfulness or just being present to what is. At first, not changing anything, but being the witness, checking in. What's happening now?  When we become aware, we begin to notice that we have choices, choices that may better support our well-being. Often what you first notice, are the places where you chronically hold tension in your body; face, neck, and shoulders included.  With this new awareness you can begin to let it go.  Mindfulness is cultivated by setting aside time in your day to be still, non-doing. “Don’t just do something, sit there”. It seems so simple, observing the breath flowing in, flowing out, but keeping focused takes practice. A beautiful thing happens as we watch our breath; we anchor ourselves in the present moment.  The Here and Now. Present-moment awareness occurs when we abandon our past experiences, with all its should of and could of’s, and as well, refrain from projecting our thoughts into the future, which is an illusion. Rather, we stay right here, right now.  We become one with this breath, this body, this room.  There is something very freeing about attending to this moment in time.  This is the only time in our life that we’ll have a choice. It will never be here again. Eating our meals mindfully is another way in which we can support good health. Many of us use food for emotional comfort, especially when we feel anxious or depressed. Slowing down and paying close attention to what we eat, allows us to better digest, and truly appreciate the flavor, aroma, and texture of foods. Think: is the food you are eating sweet, spicy, tart, crisp, fresh or juicy?  Being mindful as we eat allows us to regain control, and also illustrates how powerful and uncontrolled many of our impulses are when it comes to food.  In fact when you start to pay attention, you may notice how the mind urges us to continue to keep putting food in our mouth, bite after bite when we aren’t even hungry, or haven’t even finished chewing and swallowing the last bite, or really tasting the food.   When we slow down we may notice how certain foods leave us feeling uncomfortable and bloated. For example, how that latté or double espresso leaves you feeling tense, irritable, and cranky. With this insight, we are able to make choices that have a better overall effect on our health, and physical well-being. I teach an 8 Week Mindfulness Training course that encompasses mindfulness meditation, body scans and gentle yoga stretches.  One of the course exercises involves sampling tidbits of food with our eyes closed.  It is both fun and amusing to hear the comments from participants as to how delicious certain foods are, such as a sweet, tart apple.  Midway through the course there is a day-long retreat when we eat our lunch in silence, without distractions.  I’m always amazed at how wonderful my simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich tastes, and at the same time, how little food it takes to fill me up.  Weight loss is a natural benefit, when we learn to eat slowly, choosing fresh, healthy, wholesome foods.