What is mindfulness?
Being mindful means to be fully present and aware. Mindfulness is about engaging with your body, your emotions, and your environment, and accepting your thoughts and feelings without judgement.
We live in a fast-paced world. We often find ourselves multitasking, planning, thinking about the past or worrying about the future. This can stop us from focusing on the present moment and can increase our levels of stress and anxiety. Being mindful is about slowing down and taking notice.
What are the benefits of mindfulness?
Regularly engaging in mindfulness meditation has many benefits for our physical and mental health. These include reducing stress and anxiety, increasing resilience, and improving mood and attention. Regular mindfulness meditation can also improve sleep, reduce pain, and has even been shown to decrease levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone in the body.
How do I practice mindfulness?
There are many different ways to incorporate mindfulness into your day. You may schedule a time each day to practise mindfulness meditation, or engage in mindfulness when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. You may aim to be mindful throughout your day, such as when you are eating, going for a walk, or cleaning. We can live our lives in a way which is mindful by being present and intentional in our everyday routines and activities.
Here are some steps for a basic structured mindfulness practice:
1) Find a quiet comfortable place where you can sit alone.
2) Focus on your breath.
- Take deep slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
3) Pay attention to your body.
- Notice how each part of your body feels and any other physical sensations you are experiencing (e.g. do you feel hot, cold, tense?).
4) Focus on your emotions - how are you feeling?
- Notice non-judgmentally how you are feeling and name these emotions.
5) Notice your surroundings.
- Pay attention to the environment around you - what can you see, hear, feel, smell?
6) Continue to focus on your breath, body, emotions and surroundings. Stay fully focused on this present moment.
Tips:
- As you meditate, other thoughts may come into your head. Let these thoughts come and go without judgement and return your attention to your breath and to the present moment.
- Set a timer - choose a length of time for your practice and set a timer so can stay focused on your meditation rather than being distracted by a clock.
Other ways to practise mindfulness and incorporate mindfulness into your everyday life…
Focus on taking slow deep breaths:
Take regular breaks throughout the day to focus on your breathing. It can be especially helpful to pause and take some deep breaths in moments when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
Here is a simple breathing exercise to control and slow down your breathing:
- 1) Take a slow deep breath in through your nose for 4 seconds.
- 2) Hold your breath for 1 second.
- 3) Slowly breathe out through your mouth for 6 seconds.
- 4) Repeat.
Do a body scan:
Find a comfortable and relaxing place to lie down. Lie on your back with your arms by your side and legs extended. Work your way through each area in your body; starting at your feet and moving up to your head. Focus on this area of the body, notice how it feels, relax this area, and then move onto the next.
Use all your senses:
Take time to pause and use all your senses to fully notice the world around you. You may do this formally by putting aside a time in your day, or informally throughout your day, such as while eating, doing chores, walking, etc.
Pause and think - What can you see, feel, hear, smell, taste?
Take advantage of the natural breaks and waiting time throughout your day:
Rather than planning, worrying or scrolling through social media, use breaks and moments of waiting throughout the day to be fully present. This may be when you are waiting for your computer to start, sitting in traffic, or waiting for an appointment or meeting.
Spend time in nature:
Take time each day to get outside and into nature. You could eat your lunch outside or go for a walk. Use this time to be fully present and focused on your body and the natural environment.