How to practice mindfulness
You can practice mindfulness at any time no matter where you are; the aim is to meet yourself where you are already at. Formal training or any prior experience is not necessary – you just need an open mind and desire to be in greater relationship to yourself and everything around you. When you find the time to slow down and quiet your mind, you have greater ability to connect with your heart, get out of the busyness in your head and greet yourself with kindness and acceptance. The key in maintaining a successful mindfulness practice is remembering to practice.
There are both formal and informal ways to practice mindfulness. A formal practice is rooted in a traditional sitting or walking meditation. Informal practices include bringing awareness to all your daily activities and creating shifts in your habitual ways of thinking. You can be an awake and active participant is your own life as soon as you start paying attention, on purpose, to your moment-to-moment experiences.
Formal practice
A formal practice consists of either a sitting or walking. When sitting, set time aside to sit – this could be on a cushion, pillow or the floor – just to be with yourself, focus on your breathing and greet yourself with compassion. This provides opportunity to be in greater relationship to yourself, without judgment, and practice extending lovingkindness to yourself and others. Sitting provides an opportunity to experience calm as well as a chance to be aware of your present moment experience, without needing to do anything about it…simply notice. Another formal practice is walking consciously, bringing awareness to your body, noticing your feet touching the ground, your arms moving in concert and resting your mind’s attention on your movements.
Sitting
A sitting practice can last for various lengths of time depending on how much time you make available, along with how experienced you are in sitting. In the beginning of your practice, you may find that you only sit for 5 or 10 minutes before feeling like you are getting too restless or getting distracted by too many thoughts. That is perfectly okay and normal. The more often you practice, your sits will naturally become longer and time will pass much quicker. The goal is to make time each day to quiet the mind, connect with your body and give space for whatever is going to arise, to arise. When you sit, simply allow; don’t judge, don’t question, don’t ruminate, don’t give in, don’t hold on, don’t attach. Just keep focus on your breath, watch your thoughts, emotions or experiences arise, honor them, and then let them go. And keep breathing. Whenever you find yourself getting stuck ruminating on a particular thought or emotion, notice it, give it space, breathe out and let it go. There is no need to hold onto what is not serving you. This is preparation for how to use this practice off the cushion and in your daily life..
Often, it can be challenging starting a sitting practice because some people have misconceptions, preconceptions, judgments and assumptions associated with sitting and walking practice. Try to let all of those go and be open to the experience, not having an attachment to any particular outcome or expectation. It is normal to think, get restless, and have a wandering mind. We have the beautiful gift of being a thinking being, and we are never going to be without thoughts; you just need to allow them to come in and then let them go. Making time to sit can be a challenge to our busyness; there will always be to-do list items calling your name. The irony is that when you make time to sit, your focus improves actually making you more productive and present with your on-going list of to-dos. Also, mindfulness practice does not preclude any religious association. It is simply breathing with awareness, paying attention on purpose to your present moment experience, exercising compassion and lovingkindness, and focusing on the art of letting go.
Sitting practice – follow these steps:
Find yourself a quiet place, free from distractions, and sit in a comfortable, wakeful, cross-legged position, with your hands resting on your knees. Allow yourself to settle by relaxing your shoulders, releasing any tension in your jaw and loosening your hands. Bring awareness to your breath, noticing where in your body you are feeling it – it may be in your abdomen, your shoulders rising up and down, your chest going in and out or the air passing from your nostrils. Wherever it is, try holding it in your mind’s attention, as you silently say the words “breathing in, breathing out.” Begin bringing awareness to your thoughts and allow yourself to simply notice them, honor and acknowledge them, and then let them go; there is no need to jump on board with each and every thought. Your thoughts are not your reality. Remember to keep breathing. Finish by focusing on something that you are grateful for, allowing the feeling of gratitude to sink into your being. Honor the time you have taken to strengthen your practice, quiet your mind and deepen your mind/body connection. Take this sense of peace, calm and joy with you throughout your day, with the knowledge that you can come back to your breath whenever you need to.
Walking practice
Walking is useful as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, a sitting practice. If you find that you get restless sitting or notice yourself getting too caught up with your thoughts, walking may be a good practice for you. While it can be easy to get distracted when sitting, walking can allow for greater awareness of your body, giving your brain something to focus on and thus making it easier to be in relationship to your present moment experience. Also, being outside is a great tool for heightening your awareness of your senses, such as what you see, what you hear and what the air feels like on your skin. It does not matter what you are paying attention to, it is in the attending itself. Generally walking practice is done very slowly, in a small area, as you pay great detail to the motion of your feet touching the ground, heel to toe. Walking with awareness draws you back into the here and now, allows you to connect with your heart and mind as well while giving your mind something tangible to pay attention to.
Walking practice – follow these steps:
Go outdoors and find an area in which you can walk about 10-15 paces. With your hands crossed low in front of you and your eyes gazed downward, walk slowly and with intention. The direction is to feel as if your feet are kissing the ground, heighten the awareness of your body and allow your movements to become the object of your attention as you continue breathe in and out. Keep the pace slow, and after walking about 10-15 paces forward, turn around and walk back. Allow your mind to focus on your movements, rather than getting caught up with your thoughts. Let go of all that you are holding onto, continue to breathe in and out, and come back into the present moment. Walk for 5-30 minutes.
Informal practice
An informal practice is bringing mindful awareness to all your daily activities. It is cultivating your way of being in the world in which you are focused on your present moment experience and are paying attention, on purpose, to what is going on inside of you and around you. Informal practices heighten your level and quality of attention and presence you are bringing to your life.
Examples of informal practices are:
You can practice mindfulness at any time no matter where you are; the aim is to meet yourself where you are already at. Formal training or any prior experience is not necessary – you just need an open mind and desire to be in greater relationship to yourself and everything around you. When you find the time to slow down and quiet your mind, you have greater ability to connect with your heart, get out of the busyness in your head and greet yourself with kindness and acceptance. The key in maintaining a successful mindfulness practice is remembering to practice.
There are both formal and informal ways to practice mindfulness. A formal practice is rooted in a traditional sitting or walking meditation. Informal practices include bringing awareness to all your daily activities and creating shifts in your habitual ways of thinking. You can be an awake and active participant is your own life as soon as you start paying attention, on purpose, to your moment-to-moment experiences.
Formal practice
A formal practice consists of either a sitting or walking. When sitting, set time aside to sit – this could be on a cushion, pillow or the floor – just to be with yourself, focus on your breathing and greet yourself with compassion. This provides opportunity to be in greater relationship to yourself, without judgment, and practice extending lovingkindness to yourself and others. Sitting provides an opportunity to experience calm as well as a chance to be aware of your present moment experience, without needing to do anything about it…simply notice. Another formal practice is walking consciously, bringing awareness to your body, noticing your feet touching the ground, your arms moving in concert and resting your mind’s attention on your movements.
Sitting
A sitting practice can last for various lengths of time depending on how much time you make available, along with how experienced you are in sitting. In the beginning of your practice, you may find that you only sit for 5 or 10 minutes before feeling like you are getting too restless or getting distracted by too many thoughts. That is perfectly okay and normal. The more often you practice, your sits will naturally become longer and time will pass much quicker. The goal is to make time each day to quiet the mind, connect with your body and give space for whatever is going to arise, to arise. When you sit, simply allow; don’t judge, don’t question, don’t ruminate, don’t give in, don’t hold on, don’t attach. Just keep focus on your breath, watch your thoughts, emotions or experiences arise, honor them, and then let them go. And keep breathing. Whenever you find yourself getting stuck ruminating on a particular thought or emotion, notice it, give it space, breathe out and let it go. There is no need to hold onto what is not serving you. This is preparation for how to use this practice off the cushion and in your daily life..
Often, it can be challenging starting a sitting practice because some people have misconceptions, preconceptions, judgments and assumptions associated with sitting and walking practice. Try to let all of those go and be open to the experience, not having an attachment to any particular outcome or expectation. It is normal to think, get restless, and have a wandering mind. We have the beautiful gift of being a thinking being, and we are never going to be without thoughts; you just need to allow them to come in and then let them go. Making time to sit can be a challenge to our busyness; there will always be to-do list items calling your name. The irony is that when you make time to sit, your focus improves actually making you more productive and present with your on-going list of to-dos. Also, mindfulness practice does not preclude any religious association. It is simply breathing with awareness, paying attention on purpose to your present moment experience, exercising compassion and lovingkindness, and focusing on the art of letting go.
Sitting practice – follow these steps:
Find yourself a quiet place, free from distractions, and sit in a comfortable, wakeful, cross-legged position, with your hands resting on your knees. Allow yourself to settle by relaxing your shoulders, releasing any tension in your jaw and loosening your hands. Bring awareness to your breath, noticing where in your body you are feeling it – it may be in your abdomen, your shoulders rising up and down, your chest going in and out or the air passing from your nostrils. Wherever it is, try holding it in your mind’s attention, as you silently say the words “breathing in, breathing out.” Begin bringing awareness to your thoughts and allow yourself to simply notice them, honor and acknowledge them, and then let them go; there is no need to jump on board with each and every thought. Your thoughts are not your reality. Remember to keep breathing. Finish by focusing on something that you are grateful for, allowing the feeling of gratitude to sink into your being. Honor the time you have taken to strengthen your practice, quiet your mind and deepen your mind/body connection. Take this sense of peace, calm and joy with you throughout your day, with the knowledge that you can come back to your breath whenever you need to.
Walking practice
Walking is useful as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, a sitting practice. If you find that you get restless sitting or notice yourself getting too caught up with your thoughts, walking may be a good practice for you. While it can be easy to get distracted when sitting, walking can allow for greater awareness of your body, giving your brain something to focus on and thus making it easier to be in relationship to your present moment experience. Also, being outside is a great tool for heightening your awareness of your senses, such as what you see, what you hear and what the air feels like on your skin. It does not matter what you are paying attention to, it is in the attending itself. Generally walking practice is done very slowly, in a small area, as you pay great detail to the motion of your feet touching the ground, heel to toe. Walking with awareness draws you back into the here and now, allows you to connect with your heart and mind as well while giving your mind something tangible to pay attention to.
Walking practice – follow these steps:
Go outdoors and find an area in which you can walk about 10-15 paces. With your hands crossed low in front of you and your eyes gazed downward, walk slowly and with intention. The direction is to feel as if your feet are kissing the ground, heighten the awareness of your body and allow your movements to become the object of your attention as you continue breathe in and out. Keep the pace slow, and after walking about 10-15 paces forward, turn around and walk back. Allow your mind to focus on your movements, rather than getting caught up with your thoughts. Let go of all that you are holding onto, continue to breathe in and out, and come back into the present moment. Walk for 5-30 minutes.
Informal practice
An informal practice is bringing mindful awareness to all your daily activities. It is cultivating your way of being in the world in which you are focused on your present moment experience and are paying attention, on purpose, to what is going on inside of you and around you. Informal practices heighten your level and quality of attention and presence you are bringing to your life.
Examples of informal practices are:
- eating
- work/homework
- communication with others
- chores
- responding to stressful situations
- sleeping
- actually anything can be done in a mindful manner