How to Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a natural quality that we all have. It’s available to us in every moment if we take the time to appreciate it. When we practice mindfulness we’re practicing the art of creating space for ourselves, space to think, space to breathe, space between ourselves and our reactions.

How to practice mindfulness:

1. Create some time. You can practice anywhere, there’s no need to go out and buy a special cushion or bench—all you need is to devote a little time and space to accessing your mindfulness skills every day.
2. Take note of the fact that you are here, now. There’s no way to “quiet your mind”—That’s not the goal here. There’s no bliss state or otherworldly communion. All you’re trying to do is pay attention to the present moment, without judgement. Sounds easy, right?
3. Be kind to your wandering mind. As you practice paying attention to what’s going on in your body and mind at the present moment, you’ll find that your thoughts will drift to the past,meander to your to-do list—Your mind will try to be anywhere but where you are. But the wandering mind isn’t something to fear, it’s part of human nature and it provides the magic moment for the essential piece of mindfulness practice—the piece that researchers believe leads to healthier, more agile brains: the moment when you recognize that your mind has wandered. Because if you can notice that your mind has wandered, then you can consciously bring it back to the present moment. The more you do this, the more likely you are to be able to do it again and again. And that beats walking around on autopilot any day (ie: getting to your destination without remembering the drive, finding yourself with your hand in the bottom of a chip bag you only meant to snack a little from, etc.).
4. Don’t let your judgy brain take over. The second part of the puzzle is the “without judgement” part. We’re all guilty of listening to the critic in our heads a little more than we should. (That critic has saved us from disaster quite a few times.) But, when we practice investigating our judgments and diffusing them, we can learn to choose how we look at things and react to them. When you practice mindfulness, try not to judge yourself for whatever thoughts pop up. Notice judgements arise, make a mental note of them (some people label them “thinking”), and let them pass, recognizing the sensations they might leave in your body, and letting those pass as well.
5. Return to the present moment, as it is, again and again. It seems like our minds are wired to get carried away in thought. That’s why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the present moment. Every time we do it, we reinforce our ability to do it again. Call it a bicep curl for your brain.

That’s it! That’s the practice. It seems so simple, but it’s not all that easy. The real work is to make time every day to just keep doing it.

 

Be Kind to Yourself—Right Now

A 5-Minute Breathing Meditation To Cultivate Mindfulness

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