Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the act of living in the present. Many of us go through life on autopilot. We focus too much on our thoughts and this can lead to a state of unhappiness. By living in the present, you will realize that many causes of our stress and anxiety are unnecessary and can be avoided.

Here are a few steps on how to practice mindfulness in our day to day lives:

Mindful walking

Mindful walking brings you into the present moment free of expectations and worry and can be practiced in your daily life by doing the following:

Rhythm- align your walking to the rhythm of your breath .i.e. lifting your foot when you inhale and lowering it as you exhale. Practice indoors until you feel confident enough to do it outside

Be aware- What’s going on around you?  What can you hear, taste, smell? What is your body doing? - are you feeling any soreness or tightness in the muscles? Don’t be quick to judge or label the sensations

Mindful breathing

Breathing mindfully brings you into the present moment, enabling you to cultivate a calmness of the mind.  You can practice mindful breathing by doing the following:

Get comfortable- Sit in a relaxed position, with your back straight. What sensations can you feel?

Observe your breath- Simply observe the natural flow of your breath-in and out, in and out. Notice the expansion of your stomach with each intake. How does it feel?

Be non-critical- The aim is to focus your mind on breathing. Don’t be critical if your mind wanders off a thousand times. Whenever you notice, bring your focus back to your breathing.

Mindful eating

Mindful eating helps us focus our awareness on the simple act of nourishment and by so doing, we cultivate a fresh appreciation for food and the environment around us.  You can practice mindful eating by doing the following:

Take stock- Take a look at your eating habits. Do you rush your meals? Do you eat lunch while doing other things or with a hundred thoughts on your mind? Do you ever notice the taste sensations exploding on your palate or does it just pass you by unnoticed?

Organization- When eating, make sure you focus solely on the experience. Don’t work as you eat, use your phone or watch television. Just let it be you, your food and the present moment.

Be sensitive-Use and observe your senses as you eat. Take a moment to feel the texture; be aware of smells and appearance. Notice how different tastes affect you. Acknowledge your responses- likes, dislikes and indifference

Mindful attitude

It takes time to develop a mindful attitude, however the cultivation of mindful habits such as walking, eating and breathing create the grounds from which a truly mindful attitude emerges. Aspects of a mindful attitude include:

Non judgement- Part of developing a mindful attitude is by learning not to judge everything. Where there is a genuine need for a judgement, the mind is clear and the judgement wiser.

Patience-Mindfulness isn’t something that comes from being intellectually aware of the idea. We need to practice the art of being in the moment every day and this will require patience

Non-striving-By constantly desiring things, we set ourselves up for disappointment; we create an almost permanent state of dissatisfaction thus there is no purpose to mindfulness, nothing to expect and nothing to achieve.

Letting go- Avoid clinging onto experiences as this can cause us to get stuck and clutter our minds. Allow experiences to come and go naturally. This also means letting go of the idea of mindfulness.