Question №29
30 DAYS ~ 30 QUESTIONS
Life is not a race. It is a gift. Enjoy it, don’t rush through it — Daniella Kessler
The amount of time we spend on our phone, on the net, in our head or at work often leaves no time to just stop and smell the roses, so to speak.
We all tend to imagine mindfulness as a hard and challenging effort which requires one to set aside time, commitment, and/or expensive yoga pants. Truth is, you don’t need any of that to practice mindfulness. Forget about the 2 week detox resort or the 10 day silent retreat. We can start being more mindful right now. Right here.
“Simply, mindfulness is full conscious awareness. It is paying conscious attention to your thoughts, feelings and emotions that flow through your mind, body and breath, without any judgment or criticism. It is being present. Living in the moment not for the moment.”
For which, pay attention to whatever you’re doing. And that could be brushing your teeth, sitting in meditative silence, staring out of the window, driving to work, reading the morning news, sipping your cuppa — whatever you’re doing, get in the habit of paying attention to it. Your mind may wander, thoughts will come and go. Let them. Just bring your attention back to what you’re doing.
Alternatively, anchor yourself to the physical world. Sense your surroundings. Notice it. See what you see, hear what you hear and feel what you feel. This can help root your awareness in the present.
And don’t forget to take a deep breath whenever you can.
Inhale deeply…
Exhale fully.
Breathing is a vital mindfulness technique because it is something we all do. Every single moment. Get quiet and take three or four deep breaths. Pay attention to them. This can help one feel calm, refreshed and refocused.
The more mindfulness you practice, the easier and more intuitive it will become. As time goes on you will realize that you can slow down moments in your day to improve their outcomes.
Mindful fact: On average, human beings take 23,000 breaths a day. That gives each of us 23,000 chances every day to kick start some mindfulness.
Stop to notice the sound of your own breathing today.
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