How to Practice Mindfulness As a Way of Life
Learn about mindfulness., Be aware., Start by taking stock of your life., Notice each time when you act in ways that are not in harmony with what it is you are trying to achieve., Bring your awareness to your breath., Take this a step further., Rest...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn about mindfulness.
It's important to understand exactly what mindfulness is so that you can begin practicing it.
Search for internet articles or critically-acclaimed books that describe how to feel mindful in the present. -
Step 2: Be aware.
This is a key element of being mindful.
Be aware of yourself, your actions and the sensations in your body.
Most time is spent time unaware of how you are feeling, or how stressed you are, and most importantly how out of touch with yourself you are.When embarking on a mindfulness journey, you are making a commitment to yourself to slow your life down, take responsibility for yourself, and to become more self-aware.
This is an important first step, and usually only taken when you reach a point of despair and feel that you cannot carry on as you are. , Write down all the things that are causing you a problem.
This helps you to bring awareness to everything you are coping with.
Once you have an awareness of what is challenging you, take some time to reflect on whether they are happening for your growth or to cause you problems.
Life generally brings you challenges to assist with your growth, meaning that everything you face is an opportunity to either grow and learn, or to become a victim of your circumstances.
Look at your feelings about your situation and how you are dealing with those problems/challenges.
Is it helpful to you or is your response/reaction to the problems creating more problems for you? Can you think of how you can deal with them differently or more effectively? , Once you have identified your challenges and how they are affecting you, it is easier to do this.
Is there a more patient, mindful way to handle this problem? Do your actions now align with your goals, and if not, what could you do? , Notice your natural breath.
Is it shallow, deep, laboured or otherwise? Do not try to change it, just notice how it is at this time.
Next, move your attention to the area between your upper lip and nostrils; see if you can feel the breath as it enters and leaves the body in this tiny area.
Try throughout the day to keep a background awareness of the breath as it enters and leaves the body.
Do you feel different when doing this? Do you feel more in control? While you are doing this, are you aware of any problems? Are you worrying about anything? Do you feel calm? It is simple to bring your attention within yourself in this way.
This practice allows you to stay focused on the breath, how you are feeling, any sensations in the body and it occupies the mind in the present instead of in the past or future worries. , Mindfulness-in-action can help your life become a living meditation.
Now you are starting to become more self-aware, more aware of how you react in certain situations, it is time to bring mindfulness to your everyday activities.
The purpose is to keep the mind in the present moment, focused on what you are doing now.
Usually the mind is concerned with past challenges or future worries.
However, when you stop and look around at this moment, what is actually happening to cause you stress or upset? Is it all happening in your mind? Wouldn't it be great to be free of that? To assist with being in the present moment, keep a background awareness on the breath during whatever you are doing.
You can bring mindfulness into all situations.
Take walking for example; start by noticing each footstep, the rise and fall of the foot, the strides you take, and how it feels in your body to walk.
Mostly walking is just an activity that is given no thought, however, when you bring your attention to it you can experience walking in a different way.
In the same way, you can bring mindfulness into eating, washing the dishes, cleaning, dressing, showering, driving, working, talking and any other activity you are engaged in.
The purpose is to give the mind something to do in the present moment, which in turn halts the otherwise anxious and debilitating thoughts that tend to otherwise inhabit the mind. , At the end of the day, you can greatly assist your mindfulness practice by sitting quietly with your eyes shut, and focusing on the breath.
This helps to keep you calm, relaxed and it instills the new behaviour of mindfulness awareness into your consciousness.
Being mindful at first can feel strange, and unnatural, since you are focusing on things that you usually do on automatic pilot.
However, the benefits are huge.
You will start to become more self-aware, conscious of how you function without awareness, which can assist you with breaking the cycles of anxiety and depression.
Mindfulness can be used very effectively to identify the thoughts that cause stress, and alert you that it is time to maybe see things in a different way.
Once you become aware of how your thoughts affect how you feel, react, interact and function in the world, it becomes easier to challenge them and look at things with a new perspective. -
Step 3: Start by taking stock of your life.
-
Step 4: Notice each time when you act in ways that are not in harmony with what it is you are trying to achieve.
-
Step 5: Bring your awareness to your breath.
-
Step 6: Take this a step further.
-
Step 7: Rest and focus.
Detailed Guide
It's important to understand exactly what mindfulness is so that you can begin practicing it.
Search for internet articles or critically-acclaimed books that describe how to feel mindful in the present.
This is a key element of being mindful.
Be aware of yourself, your actions and the sensations in your body.
Most time is spent time unaware of how you are feeling, or how stressed you are, and most importantly how out of touch with yourself you are.When embarking on a mindfulness journey, you are making a commitment to yourself to slow your life down, take responsibility for yourself, and to become more self-aware.
This is an important first step, and usually only taken when you reach a point of despair and feel that you cannot carry on as you are. , Write down all the things that are causing you a problem.
This helps you to bring awareness to everything you are coping with.
Once you have an awareness of what is challenging you, take some time to reflect on whether they are happening for your growth or to cause you problems.
Life generally brings you challenges to assist with your growth, meaning that everything you face is an opportunity to either grow and learn, or to become a victim of your circumstances.
Look at your feelings about your situation and how you are dealing with those problems/challenges.
Is it helpful to you or is your response/reaction to the problems creating more problems for you? Can you think of how you can deal with them differently or more effectively? , Once you have identified your challenges and how they are affecting you, it is easier to do this.
Is there a more patient, mindful way to handle this problem? Do your actions now align with your goals, and if not, what could you do? , Notice your natural breath.
Is it shallow, deep, laboured or otherwise? Do not try to change it, just notice how it is at this time.
Next, move your attention to the area between your upper lip and nostrils; see if you can feel the breath as it enters and leaves the body in this tiny area.
Try throughout the day to keep a background awareness of the breath as it enters and leaves the body.
Do you feel different when doing this? Do you feel more in control? While you are doing this, are you aware of any problems? Are you worrying about anything? Do you feel calm? It is simple to bring your attention within yourself in this way.
This practice allows you to stay focused on the breath, how you are feeling, any sensations in the body and it occupies the mind in the present instead of in the past or future worries. , Mindfulness-in-action can help your life become a living meditation.
Now you are starting to become more self-aware, more aware of how you react in certain situations, it is time to bring mindfulness to your everyday activities.
The purpose is to keep the mind in the present moment, focused on what you are doing now.
Usually the mind is concerned with past challenges or future worries.
However, when you stop and look around at this moment, what is actually happening to cause you stress or upset? Is it all happening in your mind? Wouldn't it be great to be free of that? To assist with being in the present moment, keep a background awareness on the breath during whatever you are doing.
You can bring mindfulness into all situations.
Take walking for example; start by noticing each footstep, the rise and fall of the foot, the strides you take, and how it feels in your body to walk.
Mostly walking is just an activity that is given no thought, however, when you bring your attention to it you can experience walking in a different way.
In the same way, you can bring mindfulness into eating, washing the dishes, cleaning, dressing, showering, driving, working, talking and any other activity you are engaged in.
The purpose is to give the mind something to do in the present moment, which in turn halts the otherwise anxious and debilitating thoughts that tend to otherwise inhabit the mind. , At the end of the day, you can greatly assist your mindfulness practice by sitting quietly with your eyes shut, and focusing on the breath.
This helps to keep you calm, relaxed and it instills the new behaviour of mindfulness awareness into your consciousness.
Being mindful at first can feel strange, and unnatural, since you are focusing on things that you usually do on automatic pilot.
However, the benefits are huge.
You will start to become more self-aware, conscious of how you function without awareness, which can assist you with breaking the cycles of anxiety and depression.
Mindfulness can be used very effectively to identify the thoughts that cause stress, and alert you that it is time to maybe see things in a different way.
Once you become aware of how your thoughts affect how you feel, react, interact and function in the world, it becomes easier to challenge them and look at things with a new perspective.
About the Author
Donald Stokes
Experienced content creator specializing in practical skills guides and tutorials.
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