How to Practice Mindfulness
Paying attention on purpose to the present moment.....
Don't just do, be....
There’s no need to go out of your way or find somewhere special to practice. Mindfulness practice can be done anyplace anywhere anytime as it is about being not just automatic doing, but what does that mean.
Even the most simple of automatic daily actions can be transformed into mindful practice. For example, first thing in the morning, the opportunity for mindful practice exists and it need not take any extra time.
Taking a shower, can be transformed into a mindfulness practice, rather than automatically doing what you've always done, next time try noticing the sensations of the water upon your skin, the feelings of washing your hair, the scent of soap or bodywash.
Breakfast can be eaten mindfully rather than mindlessly, simply by pausing to breathe before and after each mouthful, noticing how your breath enters and exits your body. By savouring the sights, smells, tastes and textures of the food we eat you can anchor your attention in yourself.
These morning mindful moments can be achieved before even leaving home. Then there’s the journey to work, school, gym or home office, all normally done on automatic pilot can be done mindfully.
Formal practice....
At its core mindfulness is deepened by meditation, the difference between mindful meditation and many other forms of meditation is that mindfulness meditation is practiced in a state of awareness.
Mindfulness meditation is the formal practice (exercise) of returning our mind to rest on our present focus, be that our breath, our movement, or our sensations, as during our meditation our mind will inevitably wander off into the future or the past.
This action of returning our minds attention to our present focus is essentially the exercise of mindfulness. In this action of returning we are training and exercising our mental muscle to return to the present, training our mental muscle just as we would train any other muscle we wanted to strengthen.
As with any other muscle our mental muscle can be trained for a specific task, just as we can train our muscles to say hit a tennis ball, something that after time feels automatic. Here through mindfulness meditation were are training our mental muscle to keep us in the present, this is important because the present is where we live our life. Fear, anxiety, and stress lives in the past or the future.
Mindful breathing....
Find your comfortable posture, it should be as upright dignified posture as you can comfortably physically achieve with a feeling of openness in the front of your body, a freedom to sense the breath coming in and releasing out.
Either sitting on the floor, a bolster, or chair lengthen up through your spine into your shoulders, its Ok if your legs are crossed or outstretched, just find a position comfortable to sit in for 15 minutes. Hands on your lap, (maybe resting on a cushion) to release into your shoulders. The aim is to find a posture that offers ease in your body.
To begin the mediation close your eyes or if prefer keep your eyes softly open holding a gentle gaze down slightly in front of you. Feel you are held by the ground beneath your feet, notice how the chair or ground is supporting you.
Now bring your attention to your breath, without changing your breathing just bring your attention to it. Simply notice how your body is breathing, do this without judgement, there is no right or wrong, good or bad, simply observe the experience of breath coming into and out from your body.
You should simply settle into the rhythm of your breath, noticing where your breath enters and exists your body. Noticing the subtle movements in different parts of your body when you breath in and breath out.
During your mindful breathing your mind will inevitably wander, when it does, simply bring it back with gentleness, loving-kindness to wherever your breath is resting at that time. The aim of this practice is to ground you and to return your attention to the present when it wanders.
To end the practice, gently move your head towards your chest and open or focus your eyes, start to reacquaint yourself with your surroundings. Have a gently stretch through shoulders, neck, and arms.
When you have finished take a moment or two for some reflective stillness. Take a little time to notice if there is any difference in the sensations of your mind, heart, or body compared to the start of the practice.
Home is where
the heart is.
