Photo by Ian Stauffer
Introduction
Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present. When you practice mindfulness, you bring your complete attention to the moment — without judging your experiences. You can be mindful while taking a walk or sitting on a bus; in fact, you can even do it while driving if you understand that paying attention to what’s happening around you is part of being safe.
“Mindfulness clears the windshield of the mind so that we can see things as they really are.” — Travis Eliot
Step 1: Decide to practice mindfulness
The first step is deciding to practice mindfulness. You might be asking yourself, “Why should I bother?” Here are some good reasons:
- Mindfulness helps you enjoy the present moment. It’s your life, and there’s no reason to let it pass by without savoring what you have right now.
- Mindfulness can help you get better sleep and reduce stress. That’s right—you can stop tossing and turning at night because of a busy mind that won’t shut off!
- Mindfulness can help improve attention span, emotional regulation, and impulse control (which will come in handy if your toddler keeps stealing all your pens).
Step 2: Create a specific time and place to practice
The second step is to create a specific time and place to practice mindfulness. This should be done in a quiet space where you can be alone. You might have some other things planned for this time or place, but it should be dedicated primarily to mindfulness practice; that’s the key here.
Mindfulness meditation is often taught as part of a group setting, which is great for many people. However, others find it easier to practice on their own at first. If you’re interested in starting your mindfulness journey with a group setting, check out organizations like MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) groups or local Buddhist centers that offer classes in mindfulness meditation.
If you prefer working on your own and want to try out some guided meditations before committing yourself fully—or if you simply want more information on how best practices can help inform your own experiences—then I highly recommend checking out some guided meditations on Youtube.
Step 3: Prepare yourself for the day ahead
Mindfulness is a great way to prepare yourself for the day ahead, and it’s easy to do. Here are five steps you can take:
- Think about what you’re going to do. Before heading out, take some time to think about your tasks for the day. Are there any big projects looming on your horizon? Do you need to plan something important or just get through a checklist of smaller tasks? If so, make a list of things that need doing and prioritize them by importance (which tasks will have the most impact) and urgency (which ones need doing now). Once this is done, see how much time each task will require – this will help determine which ones are best tackled first.
- Make a detailed plan for each task in order of importance and urgency if possible as well as noting how long each task may take or when it should be completed by
Step 4: Practice mindfulness throughout your day
When you practice mindfulness, you’re not just training yourself to get into the moment. You’re also training yourself to notice when you’re not present. When we become aware of what we are doing right now, it helps us identify how our behavior and thought patterns might be getting in the way of living a more fulfilling life.
This is where the true benefit of mindfulness comes in: it can help us identify areas where we need to work on being more mindful and present.
For example, if I am feeling stressed out or anxious about something else going on in my life (family issues, job stress), then I may find that I am unable to focus on what is happening right now at hand (e.g., writing an assignment for class). In this situation, practicing mindfulness would help me recognize that stress has been clouding my ability to focus on what matters most—in this case, my schoolwork—and give me an outlet through which I can deal with these feelings without distracting myself from them with other tasks like watching TV or playing video games online instead!
Step 5: Do a formal mindfulness meditation practice
The final step is to do a formal mindfulness meditation practice.
Meditation is a mental practice that trains the mind to be more focused, aware, and present. You can meditate by yourself (sitting quietly with your eyes closed), or you can meditate with others in a group setting (for example, at the Mindfulness Meditation Center in New York City).
As you do the following practices on your own or with others, try not to judge your experience: like any new skill, it takes time and effort before it becomes second nature. These practices will help you focus on being calm while still feeling all of the emotions that come up during stressful situations as well as make better decisions about how to respond when faced with obstacles or challenges in life:
Step 6: Build your mindful presence into your daily activities
Step 6: Build your mindful presence into your daily activities
The ultimate goal of mindfulness is to bring this sense of calm, awareness, and self-acceptance into all aspects of life. By incorporating a few short moments of meditation into your daily activities, you can begin to develop the skills needed to make mindfulness a part of your natural response to stress or difficult situations.
You might choose different techniques depending on the activity at hand, but here are some ideas for how you can incorporate attentional focus in everyday life:
- Before starting any task or conversation—whether it’s going for a run or asking someone out on a date—take just three deep breaths in through the nose and exhale slowly through pursed lips (or closed mouth). This will help clear any distractions from your mind while also preparing yourself mentally for whatever lies ahead. As soon as possible after completing an activity (such as brushing your teeth), check in with yourself again by asking “How did that go?” Or pause before turning off lights at night: “Is there anything else I should do?”
- When driving home from work every day, spend five minutes slowing down and paying attention to how things look around town—the trees lining streets; people walking dogs; birds soaring and singing; children playing outside school gates with friends they haven’t seen since summer break began last month… There’s always something new happening around us even if we aren’t always looking!
Mindfulness is the deliberate act of turning your attention toward the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. Mindfulness can help busy people cope with stress and anxiety, increase their focus and creativity, and reduce the likelihood that they’ll make impulsive decisions. By practicing it regularly, you can improve your overall well-being and relationship to life.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that helps you focus your attention on the present moment. When you’re mindful, you’re aware of your thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad. By practicing mindfulness, you can improve your overall well-being and relationship with life.
Mindfulness is a process that involves developing an awareness of what’s happening right now without attachment to it or aversion to it (or both). It involves being attentive and nonjudgmental toward whatever arises in our field of awareness—thoughts, emotions, sights, sounds—without trying to change anything about them; simply witnessing them as they are instead of attaching yourself to them with craving (i.e., wanting things to be other than how they are) or distancing yourself from them with aversion (i.e., being afraid of what might happen if things stay the same).
When we become too attached or too disconnected from our own inner experiences due either to craving/clinging or aversion/rejecting—sometimes even small amounts will do—we lose touch with reality because everything becomes distorted through those filters that color our experience based on past conditioning (which includes culture), fear-based patterns inherited through evolution over millions of years during which survival meant avoiding danger at any cost rather than engaging with it mindfully so we could learn from it in order enable us to adapt into more mindful future generations.
“When you’re feeling frazzled, put all of your attention on the breath. It’s a portal into the present moment, the best remedy for stress.” — Ellen Barrett
Conclusion
If you want to reap the benefits of mindfulness, it’s important to make it a part of your daily life. The goal isn’t just to practice when you can fit it in but rather make it an integral part of your routine. By doing so, you can improve your overall well-being and relationship with life itself.
Author: Bliss
Dedicated to making a positive difference for people, animals, and this beautiful planet!
