Mindfulness is one of those overused words in contemporary conversation.

Part of our collective consciousness as we strive for a world that’s more balanced, more health conscious and more sustainable, it has gained credence but not always understanding. The fact is that it has the power to change everything about the way we live, including the way we purchase skincare products and the way we relax.

With its roots in Buddhism, mindfulness is a concept with an old soul. It is not a new idea, but somewhere along the road we seemed to have forgotten about it, at least in the West, until the likes of Echart Tolle came bounding out of the ether and reminded us that there’s beauty in every moment.

That is the essence of mindfulness; the practice of being in the now. It is a non judgemental sense of being present and purposeful, doing things with meaning and an almost meditative approach, and there’s no time like the present, in world of overworked and overstimulated individuals perpetually striving forward on a commercial hamster wheel, to be reminded of it.

The benefits of the practice are largely impossible to argue with and some of the leading business people in the world including Arianna Huffington extol its virtues and credit it with much of their success. How to achieve it is a battle between those who want to capitalise on it and those who simply practice it. It’s more about being aware than it is about doing anything in particular, which is why so many people hone it through meditation.

Mindfulness and the environment

This concept of awareness and mindfulness can extend beyond our way of being in our own selves to the choices that we make with the things we buy, the products we use and the way we use them.

For example, taking care of the natural world and the planet around us is an increasingly potent question amongst all who open their eyes and minds to it. We are increasingly moving towards a world where recycling isn’t merely a quirky option, but a way of life, whether you live in the country or the city.

Most of us don’t have to go too far back into the memory bank to remember a time when you had one bin in the UK, but now it’s almost sacrilege to put paper in the regular trash, and we are more and more aware of the impact that plastics have on the oceans; the microbeads in certain exfoliants that are so dangerous to sea life for example.

Then of course there is the impact that certain products have on our own skins and bodies, which has spurred a rising interest in skincare products that use more natural ingredients.

Quality over quantity

In a culture that spent the last 50 years hurtling towards a world of mass production and throw away fashion, the breaks are beginning to be put on and we’re all starting to think, to be mindful of our consumer choices, and for many that means making a choice for quality over quantity.

For some it may mean making a conscious decision to use products that are certified organic by the Soil Association, while for others it may mean choosing a product that has been made locally with limited air miles or with an artisan ethos.

Perhaps a sense of heritage is what means a lot to you - a brand with a longstanding and proven commitment to quality, providing employment across generations. Or maybe you have a passion for travel that you want to carry with you on a daily basis, reminding you of your happiest and most treasured moments through the power of scent - a glowing candle in the corner of your room as an homage to that romantic trip to Paris or that perfume that gives you with a heady lift on grey days, reminding you of time spent on the Cote d’Azure.

Mindfulness is the art of stepping out of autopilot and into a world of conscious thought. It is about being in the moment, but it’s also about making decisions that matter to you, and that has meaning in the small daily choices as well as the big life decisions.

For us, mindfulness is as much about taking that moment to really enjoy your coffee in the morning (the freshly ground filter kind, not the instant variety) as it is about practising self care. It’s about making decisions that feel good, and while each small one may not seem to mean very much on its own, when they’re all put together they create something significant, right down to the spa treatments you enjoy.

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