First of all, what is #mindfulness? Sure it sounds cool and esoteric but do we actually know what it means?
For me being mindful means being focused on the present moment, seeing what is happening around me. Most people are constantly living in the future, planning their holidays or thinking about what they will be doing the next day, the next minute, or in the past, thinking about things they regret. This way they are not really living, just surviving, always waiting for the future which never comes, because we can only ever be in the present. Being mindful means you’ll be able to stay in that present moment, enjoy and appreciate it.
Practicing mindfulness will make you more resistant to stress and it will contribute to your overall happiness, because real happiness comes from within. Outside circumstances can make you feel good temporarily, but you won’t be happy even if you live in a million dollar mansion if you are stressed out. Through practicing mindfulness you’ll slowly notice that you’re just more content and happier even though your outside circumstances haven’t changed. By focusing on the here and now, you’ll be less likely to get caught up in worries about the future and it can even help you deepen your connection with others. It can even improve your physical health. Scientists have discovered that it may help treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties.
But how do I practice mindfulness?
Below we will give you some tips that you can easily incorporate into your daily life and experience all those benefits of mindfulness. Most of these tips are things we do daily. They have proven to work for us in our quest for mindfulness.
Start your day with 9-12 sun salutations. Every day I wake up, put the kettle on and I say hi to the new day with sun salutations. #sunsalutations are the basic staple of the yogic world and they serve as #meditation in movement. They help reduce depression, anxiety and stress while building mental focus, concentration and deep breathing. Doing this sequence right after waking up will help you set your intentions for the day to be mindful and focused on the present. And least but not last, they are a great full body exercise.
sourceMeditate daily. I know it can be difficult to bring yourself to sit down and switch your mind off. But it’s all just a question of practice and habit. After a few weeks of practicing it will become second nature to you and you’ll look forward to your meditation practice. There is no need to sit cross-legged on the floor for hours at a time, just a few minutes every day will do the trick. Take just 10 minutes in the morning to sit at a quiet place, close your eyes and focus on your breath. Thoughts will keep coming, but you just let them go and go back to your breathing again. Don’t get angry with yourself for not being able to do it for long enough, be gentle with yourself, acknowledge the thoughts and let them go. After a few days you’ll be able to do it a bit longer. In the evening, if you have another 10 minutes then do it again, sit down and focus on your breath. Meditation will help you so much in your mindfulness practice.
sourceBecome present during the day. Choose an activity that you do quite often, like washing your hands or sitting down in your car to go check in with yourself and see how you feel. Take a few deep breaths, become fully present and just carry on with the task you were doing. This way you’ll remind yourself to stay mindful in your every day activities too. It will work like a very short meditation.
Know what your #goals are. Write down what you want to achieve in the short and long term. Maybe you want to earn enough money to go travel for a year so you decide to work long shifts. Or maybe you want to lose weight. Write it down so you know what you’re working towards. Then write down the steps you have to take to achieve those goals. They can be mini steps or bigger ones. Just make sure you have a plan to achieve what you want. Yes it is important to be in the present moment, but having goals is also important, as it gives purpose to your daily activities, so you will know exactly why you get up early, or why you make sacrifices.
sourceMake a list of things you need to do every day. It can be a virtual list in your head or one on a piece of paper. These tasks should bring you closer to your goals. In the evening have a look at the list and see how many tasks you’ve completed, and how they got you closer to your goals. Ticking things off a list and knowing you got closer to your goals will give you a sense of achievement.
Do some yin yoga in the evening. Yin yoga is slow, relaxing, passive yoga that will help you unwind at the end of the day. You will find many yin yoga classes on YouTube. Again, 10-15 minutes is plenty, you don’t need to do more even though you may well end up wanting to stay on the mat longer.
sourceTry to break up your daily routine. Do a few little things differently, like taking a different route to work, drinking tea instead of coffee in the morning or using your left hand instead of the right one to eat your breakfast. Go to work on a different route, try to observe things around you. This will give new stimulation to brain and keep it active. We don’t want the brain to get bored by doing the same old things every day because it will start deteriorating.
Take #adaptogens. They are great natural healers that support your adrenals, the glands that manage your hormonal response to #stress and help you cope with anxiety and fatigue. Each one does something a little different, but on the whole, adaptogens help your body handle stress and they boast your overall #well-being. Choose the best one for you based on the specific problem you’re experiencing.
We always take some adaptogens in the winter, which is when you’re more likely to get depressed. We take Rhodiola and Ashwaganda and they have been our best helpers. There are many others though, some will help with your #mood, others with #sleep, some will boost your immunity, or even improve #libido. So choose the best one based on the ailment you’re experiencing.
Choose just a few of the above tips and start using them tomorrow. In a few days you’ll notice a difference in the way you’re feeling, we can guarantee that.