If you’re wondering how to practice mindfulness, it may be because you’re feeling disconnected from your body and your breath. That’s a normal part of our human experience; we all have so much going on!
However, you may be surprised at the many ways you can practice mindfulness daily and happy to read that you may have been doing it in subtle ways all along.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness has roots in ancient Buddhist and contemplative traditions and has become a source of comfort and scientific interest as an antidote to modern life. The benefits are backed by research that supports the act of being present moment-to-moment as essential to feeling calmer, grounded and fulfilled. A daily mindfulness practice helps to reduce stress responses and enhance your overall well-being with a sense of calmness.
What are the characteristics of mindfulness?
There are 6 characteristics of a mindfulness practice that help make the practice more accessible for everyone.
Mindfulness practices:
- draw in all 5 senses as a way to connect to the present moment
- can be incorporated into everyday rituals and routines
- can be simple and short
- benefit everyone
- can be practiced anytime
- can be practiced anywhere
How to practice mindfulness daily.
One of the simplest ways to practice mindfulness is to focus on your sense of taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. For this practice, you pause, bring all of your attention to each sense individually and notice, without judging, what comes up for you moment to moment. If you’re short on time, focus on one sense at a time throughout the day.
For example, instead of grabbing your phone while sitting in traffic, notice the sights of the other cars and drivers around you. Or, take a deep breath before you head into your next meeting and notice the sounds of the office.
In his book, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, Joseph Goldstein shares, “Whatever we repeatedly practice begins to arise more and more spontaneously: at this point, the mindfulness arises by itself.”
Practice while doing every day tasks
Mindful showering: bring your full attention to the feeling of the water on your skin, the smell of the soap, etc.
Mindful chores: focus on each individual task before moving on to the next
Mindful walking: look up and around to take in the sights and sounds of nature
The best time to practice mindfulness is the time that works best for you.
For me, the easiest way to practice has been to weave in moments of mindfulness into the things I do almost every single day – shower, walk my dog, exercise, chores, stretch before bed. That way, if the day takes a turn by midafternoon, I know that I can still carve out those quiet moments to myself during my evening shower.
Those few breaths you take before picking up your kids, that walk you take to clear your head after a long meeting, that meal you enjoy in solitude without your phone…that is your daily mindfulness practice.
Start small, start today.
Try this practice while doing chores or running errands:
- Five things you can see
- Four things you can touch
- Three things you can hear
- Two things you can smell
- One thing you can taste
How are you practicing mindfulness daily?