Practice Mindfulness in Daily Living
Photo of Jodie sitting on a mountain at sunset in outback Queensland.
We live in an increasingly stressful world, which puts unnecessary stress on our health. But with mindfulness and meditation, we can prevent a lot of illnesses and issues with our bodies and minds.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is living in the present. It’s being fully awake and aware of our thoughts, actions, emotions, and sensations in the body and mind. It’s about not attaching to these thoughts or emotions and not allowing them to rule us! Anyone can practice mindfulness or meditate any time of the day.
Why practice mindfulness?
When we practice mindfulness we increase our self-awareness, so we can then focus more on what does nourish our bodies and minds and less on what does not! Using mindfulness and meditation we can cultivate more resilience in challenging times, reduce stress and enrich our relationships with ourselves and others.
Mindfulness can also help you manage anxiety and depression symptoms better. Mindfulness teaches you to be less reactive in situations and life. Being more mindful can reduce body aches as it strengthens and opens the mind.
6 Ways You Can Practise Mindfulness in Daily Living
Breathing Mindfulness:
Just take a moment to focus on your breathing. Breathing in, breathing out, for just a few minutes. Feel the sensations breathing in, and feel it again on the exhale. You can do this with your eyes open or closed. Just observe what you feel in the body, and maybe what thoughts or emotions come up, without attaching or judging.
Walking Mindfulness:
You can do this anywhere and for only one minute or longer. Start with feeling your feet land on the ground, feel the legs, and work your way up the body. Aim to relax when you walk slowly, and if your mind wanders, then bring it back to the breath and body. Let go of judging or analyzing and enjoy the walk!
Yoga mindfulness:
Practicing yoga is a form of moving meditation as you are connecting breath, body, and mind. You learn self-awareness and acceptance. Yoga teaches us to tune into the body and be present with every movement.
Eating Mindfulness:
Pay attention to the taste of food, the textures, and how the body and mind react. Take your time and eat slowly, explore new foods, and enjoy eating. You can even practice mindfulness by drinking your tea or coffee.
Mindful brushing:
Habits like brushing your teeth or hair can be done mindfully. Slow it down and pay attention to how it feels.
Body scan meditation mindfulness:
Scan your body slowly from the toes to the head or start from the head and work towards the toes. Focus on slow, gentle breathing. The best position is lying down and supporting your body maybe with a blanket under the legs and a pillow under the head. You can do this for 5 minutes or longer. Learn more about meditations here.
Remember just observe your thoughts, feelings, or sensations in the body, and focus on your breath to help keep the mind present and body relaxed. Mindfulness will help you reduce stress and strengthen the mind and body.
Slow down and enjoy living life.
You can learn more about mindfulness in our live-stream yoga classes with our 14-day free trial.
Namaste
Jodie
