What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is being present to what we do in every-day life; such as eating, walking, driving, working and the goings on around us. More importantly, mindfulness being present to your interactions with other people and with yourself. It is being present to how you feel at any moment and why you feel that way. 

Two types of mindfulness:

Mindfulness meditation

Living mindfully

How does mindfulness help with stress?

Much of the stress we feel comes from thinking too much about the future; worry, uncertainty, and fear, or from reflecting too much on the past; regret, anger, and resentment. When we spend too much time focusing on what has yet to happen we live in anxiety. When we spend too much time reflecting on the negative aspects of the past, we live in depression.

Using the techniques listed below to living more mindfully, and living more in the present moment, helps us to keep things in perspective, to think more clearly and more rationally, and to keep difficult emotions at a more manageable level.

Techniques to living more mindfully

Gratitude | When you bring your awareness into the present moment, and allow yourself to be aware of all that is present, you will find that there is always something to be grateful for. Gratitude gives us a sustainable sense of contentment, and often times gives us happiness, joy, and even bliss.

Beginner’s Mind | Take some time each day to practice the ‘beginner’s mind.’ Like a child playing with their toys, give your whole attention to what you are doing, and work to not let other thoughts and experiences interfere with what you are doing. Take some time to really look at your surroundings, and see them as if you've never seen them before.

Know What Stresses You | As you practice mindfulness more and more, be open to learning and seeing more clearly what it is that stresses you. Observe your behaviors when you feel stressed, and how your behaviors contribute to these stressors. Learn the signs that your body, mind and emotions give you, showing you that you are about to become more stressed. Then, practice some of the relaxation techniques below, based on how you are feeling your stress.

Choose where you give your attention | We each have the power to choose one thought over another. We each have the power to choose where we give our attention. When you give your attention to what stresses you, you expand the feeling of stress. Practice mindfulness and give your attention to those people, places, and experiences in your life that make you feel good.

Please keep in mind, that putting the above techniques into practice will take some time. In choosing to live more mindfully, you are choosing to let go of a habit that no longer serves you, and to create new, and healthier habits, that better serve you. With practice, living mindfully, helps you to live a calmer, more settled, and happier life. Using the self guided relaxation practices below, on a regular basis, will help you to move into mindful living, with less stress, more quickly.

Practice Mindful Relaxation Using the Four Levels of Being

The four levels of being are:

Physical body

Mental body

Emotional body

Subtle body

These four, simple relaxation practices will help you to relax on each level of being. As you become more mindful as to what stresses you and where you most feel your stress, you can then choose which of these four practices might best help you to relax.

For example, if you are feeling like your mind is very busy, and you're dealing with difficult emotions, and having trouble focusing, you might start with the relaxation practice for the physical body. If you are feeling overwhelmed mentally, and you just want to find a way to quiet and settle your mind, try the relaxation practice for the mental body. If you are dealing with difficult emotions, which only seem to continue to expand, try the relaxation practice for the emotional body. When you need to find quiet stillness and deep peace, use the practice for the subtle body.

I encourage you to listen to the guided practice as often as you need to, and each time spending a few minutes guiding yourself after the guided practice has ended. Eventually, you’ll move into a daily relaxation practice, where are you guiding yourself, based on what you need each day.