How To Practice Mindfulness – All You Need To Know

You may have noticed that we spend most of our days without awareness. At work or school, we often face difficulty focusing on the present moment while our minds wander off to places.

Even during our free time, we sometimes find ourselves mindlessly scrolling through our phones, indulging in binge eating, and struggling with unending thoughts about the past or future.

Mindfulness is the practice of staying focused in the present moment with awareness and what we need to embrace in our lives. Becoming aware of where we are and what we are doing, and creating space for ourselves to think, feel and act.

Though it is not hard to master this ability, it takes slightly more effort to be more mindful in our daily lives.

Before giving you some practical tips on how to practice mindfulness, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

Things to keep in mind before practicing mindfulness:

1. Be Kind to yourself:

You won’t become a master in a single day. Just like any other habit, it will take time to make mindfulness a part of your life. Just be kind to yourself in the process.

2. Your mind will wander:

When you practice mindfulness, your mind will distract you with endless thoughts. Do not get discouraged, and remember that this is a part of the process.

3. Consistency is the key:

Make sure that you take out some time for mindful activities every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. Positive results come faster when you put daily efforts into it.

4. It is about recentering attention to the present moment:

Our minds often get carried away in the thoughts of the past and the future. Training our minds with mindfulness helps build the ability to anchor ourselves into the present moment.

How to practice mindfulness:

Though there are plenty of methods available on the internet, we will talk about the one that I like the most and find very easy to practice- Focused Breathing.

Giving only 5 minutes to this practice will make you feel calmer and more centered.

Related:

Amazing health benefits of mindfulness

So here’s a step-by-step guide to making yourself mindful:

1. Find a comfortable place:

Whether you are at school or the workplace, all you need is a place where you can make yourself comfortable and relaxed for a few minutes.

2. Cut out all the distractions:

Although it’s practically impossible to keep distractions at bay, especially when you are in an outside environment, for starters, you can keep your phone and your digital devices in silent mode to help you focus.

3. Comfortably position yourself:

Once you’ve found the perfect place and silenced all your distractions, it’s time to place your body in a way that feels easy and comfortable. Sitting in a straight posture is recommended.

4. Deeply inhale and exhale:

Inhale and exhale deeply, focusing on each breath. Think of it as when you inhale, you fill your body with all the positivity. And while exhaling, you are releasing all the worries and unnecessary thoughts plaguing your mind.

5. Repeat:

Continue the deep focused breathing for at least five minutes and allow each cell of your body to get refreshed and brimming with positivity.

To help you in mindfulness practices, you can also use audio-guided platforms available on the internet. 

The Bottom line

Mindfulness is a journey of awareness and compassion towards oneself and others. Planning to start this journey is in itself an accomplishment.

Whether you are starting this journey or have already practiced it, I hope the above tips will help you in mindful living.