And that mindfulness wasn’t just something for those who live in the woods, with seemingly endless time to simply ‘be.’ Instead, mindfulness is something that we can all do - and something that we can pass down to our children too.
But in a busy world, how do we make mindfulness a priority. There are a few steps to mindfulness, but you can work with those that suit you - and create your own.
- Mindful breathing - just being aware of your breath and how it feels
- Concentration - keeping your focus on something
- Awareness of your body - what hurts? What feels good? How are you sitting right now?
- Releasing tension - dancing, yoga, walking, and other ways to release tensions mentally, emotionally, and physically
- Self-compassion - have you been kind to yourself lately?
Everyday mindfulness
This might sound strange, but you are probably still practicing mindfulness even if you aren’t consciously practicing mindfulness.
Because mindfulness can be in the small things that we do throughout the day, for example, when you walk to pick up the children, you just accept the quiet stroll and ditch the mobile phone. That can be classed as a mindful moment.
If you pause while you brew your tea or coffee and enjoy the process quietly and straightforwardly - that is also mindfulness.
Each of these small moments throughout the day is everyday mindfulness and takes no effort at all.
Wellbeing
When you pause in your day and slow down a little, you are more likely to notice that you might be feeling a little more tired. That backache that has been bothering you is still there. The tooth that felt a bit sore is still bothering you too.
Only when we let ourselves pause for a moment do we begin to highlight that we aren’t taking care of ourselves as best we can.
So it’s time to book chiropractic care, the dentist, and any other appointment that you’ve been putting off.
Practice
What would your mindfulness practice look like? If you were to design one, how would your day start? And equally importantly - how would it end?
Not everyone has the time or wants to wake up at 4 am watching the sunrise and meditate. Instead, they would like to wake up 15 minutes early, have 15 minutes of peace with a warm coffee.
Mindfulness is a personal thing and should fit your lifestyle and how you wish it to be.
The critical thing to remember is that building something that works for you will take time, and flexibility is part of getting into that mindful space.
Making mindfulness a priority is simply giving yourself some time to think, breathe, and process what’s going on - and learning to love and make space for yourself at all times.
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