When we think of mindfulness, we immediately think of spirituality. A lot of the influence is due to the internet. It's not wrong, it is definitely connected to spirituality. But what we have gotten wrong is the association of the word. 'Spirituality' is nothing but looking beyond our physical body and recognising our spirit, recognising ourselves.
Being 'Mindful' is just a simple way to look inwards. Mindfulness brings about a change in perspective, a change in perspective brings about a change in our thoughts and thus our reality.
Now this seems pretty impossible when we get caught up in our daily lives and when we are dealing with a crazy amount of issues. Its almost like we think that being mindful is for people who don't have work and have lots of time to sit and think! But what if I told you that Mindfulness can be brought about in daily tasks and that it can be a solution to all your issues?
Not that it will change your situation but it will bring about a shift in your perspective towards it, and truth be told, thats a huge step!
Im going to discuss with you a few steps to 'Mindfulness'...I hope this helps you :) It defintely has helped me....so im just sharing with you what works for me and maybe you want to tweak it here and there according to your life, likings, routines and convenience.
Start with long nature walks. During these walks, you want to open your 5 senses and become aware of their existence.
- What do you hear? (birds, rustling of leaves, other people walking, sounds of cars from a distance)
- What can you see? (take a look at the shades of greens, reds, blues, yellows around you, take a look at how the sky looks, try looking at details of flowers, of leaves, of trees, see your own feet taking one step at a time)
- What can you taste? (Don't think if you like the taste in your mouth or not, just taste it, thats all)
- What can you smell? (Just smell the aroma around you- which is why I recommend nature walks, because the aroma of nature can't go wrong till the time you are smelling excreta!)
- What can you feel? ( If your hands are moving while walking, you could feel the wind or passing air on your hands, what do you feel on your body, feel the touch of your clothes on your body, what do you feel on your face, what can you feel on your feet)
You can start this exercise and maybe go on for about 5-10 minutes. Do this whenever you can. Most probably if you do this for a few days, you will start becoming aware of your senses in the most mundane situations like when you are stuck in traffic.
Meditate everyday for about 5-10 minutes. You can gradually increase it to 30 minutes. Ideally, do this in the morning or evening or both.
Apart from having a lot of health benefits, meditation makes you release stress, increases focus, deepens and slows your breath, calms you down and makes you super productive. You can even do this when you take a break from work in the afternoon. It will reboot you for the remaining day at work.
Heres how you can do it in the simplest manner possible-
Sit or lie down comfortably (chair or ground), relax your whole body. Start from your toes, feet, ankles and go up slowly till the crown of your head, relax it part by part and imagine breathing into those body parts. Imagine that you are sending relaxing energy to your entire body. Now bring your awareness towards your breath and deepen your breathing slowly. Breath in for 3 counts(imagine you are inhaling positivity and freshness) and breath our for 5 counts (imagine exhaling all the stress away).Now just observe your thoughts. Become the observer and not the thinker. Look at yourself from another person's eye and observe what you are thinking.
That's all. This will take you 10 minutes which you can gradually increase.
The third step is to incorporate this feeling of calm that you feel during your walks and meditation into your daily activities.
For example, if you are washing utensils with water or taking a shower, become aware of how your hands or body interacts with water. Observe how you are breathing? Is it fast or slow? Open your ears and listen carefully to the sounds that are coming from a distance. You can also, just breathe with awareness. inhale- 3 counts and exhale- 5 counts.
Challenge yourself to these practices during the times you are most stressed out and analyse the feelings you feel and how can you calm yourself down with Mindfulness. It is of best use if you can relieve stress by this state of mind. Become Mindful during your stressed times, and you are on your road to bliss.
It can be a gratitude journal where you count your blessings or it can be a simple daily journal where you pin down your feelings and thoughts. Whichever you choose, writing down your thoughts at the end of the day or in the mornings, will help you really understand yourself.
- Yoga or Tai Chi. Basically, body movement which helps you breathe and become aware of your body, mind and spirit.
- Interacting With Nature- Gardening, swimming in the ocean, walking barefoot on grass, staring at stars and the moon, keeping flowers in your house etc.
- Cleaning your House- Keeping your house clean will also de-clutter your mind. Give away all that is just a clutter and of no use. Keep yourself and your environment natural, clean and simple.
- Don't eat meals with television or videos. Really eat your food, become mindful of what you are eating, what can you taste?
- Aromatherapy. Essential Oils just add to all the beauty around us. They also have a lot of health benefits to offer.
- Watch your thoughts and stop yourself from thinking negative or self-destructive thoughts.
Here are some basics you can start with and once you get here, you will know what works for you and what does not. You are the master of your own mind and I hope this will help you to master it better :)
Do share comments and let me know your own personal practices!
