If I got paid every time I was told "I don't have time for mindfulness" I would definitely have hired myself a house cleaner by now.
But in all seriousness, somewhere along the way mindfulness has picked up a reputation for being a time-consuming and complex means of accomplishing wellbeing and clarity. Sure, some forms of mindful practice can take time and monumental effort but those are not pure forms of mindfulness. Yoga, meditations in the mountains, silent retreats, long walks along the beach...these are all activities you can whilst being mindful but they are not mindfulness.
Mindfulness is quite simply the awareness of the moment and what is happening now.
Which is exactlyly why you probably have time for mindfulness; those moments, they are happening regardless of whether you pay attention or not.
So how do you practice mindfulness then? First of all it may be useful to think of mindfulness in the form of an adjective rather than as a noun: as in being mindful. A good way to get started is through your senses since these are almost always recepting current input. Try it now... Notice the colours you can see, notice the touch of your clothing on your body, the sound of your breath, anything you can smell, and the saliva in your mouth.
Another accessible way to be mindful is to simply take the time to notice your breathing. Are you breathing fast, slow, shallow, deeply? Can you feel your chest or diaphragm rise and fall? Imagine the air entering your bloodstream, delivering the oxygen while collecting stress and then breath it out realeasing it to the world. Try a few slow breathes in through the nose, sighing them slowly out your mouth. What do you notice?
Congratulations, in less than 2 minutes you have practiced two seperate acts of mindfulness.
Other ways you can bring mindful moments into your life is by simply paying attention to small moments. Your first mouthful of food or drink in the morning, allow yourself to notice the flavour, its texture, can you feel your hot drink warm you in that first mouthful? Kids, pets, partner, or colleagues driving you mad?; take a few slow breaths and check in with your heart rate for a moment. Getting distracted, acknowledge the distractions then get back on task.
Remember these moments are happening anyway all you need to do is pay attention to them.
Want to deepen your understanding of mindfulness and extend your practice to your thoughts and emotions? Keep an eye out for our next blog "No Judgement Here". Not sure how to get started or worried you might be doing it wrong, you can book for a 25 minute mindful meditation session with an experienced mindfulness coach.
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