How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life

HOW MINDFULNESS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE Mindfulness is the art of living in the present moment. Many of us go through life on autopilot. We focus too much on our thoughts and this can cause unhappiness. By living in the present we realise that a lot of our stress and anxiety is unnecessary 1. Mindful walking Mindful walking can be practised in your daily life. It brings you into the present moment, free of expectation, free of worry. It's okay if you don't master it immediately. With regular practise you'll soon be walking two inches off the ground Rhythm Align your walking to the rhythm of your breath. This involves lifting the foot on the in-breath and lowering it on the out-breath. Practise indoors until you feel confident enough to do it outside breathe in Be aware How does the ground feel beneath your feet? What's going on around you? What can you hear, taste and smell? What's the body doing – is there any soreness or tightness in the muscles? Don't judge or label the sensations 2. Mindful breathing This simple discipline is about awareness of the breath. Most of us go through life without noticing this natural ebb-and-flow. Breathing mindfully brings you into the present moment, enabling you to cultivate a calmness of the mind. Here are a few pointers to help you develop mindful breathing Get comfortable Sit in a relaxed position, back straight. It doesn't matter whether your eyes are open or closed – the main thing is being comfortable. What sensations can you feel? Observe your breath Simply observe the natural ebb-and-flow. It's like the coming and going of the tide - in and out, in and out. How does it feel? Notice the expansion of your stomach with each intake of breath Be non-critical The aim is to focus the mind on breathing. Don't worry if your mind wanders off – don't be critical. It may wander off a hundred times. Whenever you notice it, bring your focus back to the breath 3. Mindful eating Eating is at the very heart of our well-being, and yet so many of us take it for granted. Mindful eating helps us re-tune our awareness to the simple act of nourishment. By doing so, we cultivate a fresh appreciation for food and the environment around us in the here-and-now Take stock Before practising, have a look at your eating habits. Do you rush your meals? Do you eat lunch while doing other things or thinking hundreds of thoughts? Do you ever notice the taste sensations exploding on your palate? Or does it pass you by unnoticed? Organisation When you have a meal, make sure you focus solely on the experience. No working as you eat. No surfing the internet or watching television. Just let it be you, the food and the present moment Be sensitive Use and observe your senses as you eat. Take a moment to feel the texture; be aware of smells and appearance. Notice how different tastes affect you. Acknowledge your responses - likes, dislikes and indifferences 4. Mindful attitude It takes time to develop a mindful attitude. Some people liken it to the fine tuning of a musical instrument leads to a delicate balance of awareness and serenity. The cultivation of a skill that comes to us with practice, and mindful habits, such as walking, eating and listening, creates the ground from which a truly mindful attitude emerges Non-judgement We are conditioned to make unnecessary judgements everyday. Part of developing a mindful attitude is learning not to judge everything. When there is a genuine need for a judgement, the mind is clear and the judgment wiser Patience Mindfulness isn't something that comes from being intellectually aware of the idea. We need to practise the art of being in the present moment everyday. This requires patience Non-striving By constantly desiring things, we set ourselves up for disappointment; we create an almost permanent state of dissatisfaction. There is no purpose to mindfulness, nothing to expect, nothing to achieve Letting go Clinging onto experience can cause us to get stuck and fill the mind with clutter. Allow it to come-and-go naturally. This also means letting go of the idea of mindfulness shakti himalaya.com HEALTH AND FITNESS / 002 ?? breathe out