How to Practice Mindfulness - 5 Easy Steps

If you have a busy daily routine, it can be easy to reach the end of the day and realize it has all gone by in a blaze of appointments, phone calls, and rushing around. It can be hard to remember the last time you had a second to yourself, much less enough time to stop and appreciate the world around you.

But taking a period of time each day for mindfulness practice can greatly contribute to increased peace of mind, less anxiety, and an elevated mood. So committing to improving your mindfulness each day is definitely worth it!

Below we will look at the meaning of mindful behavior, the effects of mindfulness, and how you can start practicing mindfulness in your everyday life.

What is the Meaning of Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of putting yourself in a state of being conscious and aware of yourself, your thoughts, and your surroundings. With mindfulness, you focus your mind on registering the present moment, registering your current thoughts and feelings, and how your body feels.

By anchoring yourself in the present, you can calm your mind, lower your anxiety and elevate your happiness by appreciating the moment.

An Example of Mindfulness

You can embrace mindfulness in any part of your day by starting to pay attention to what is around you. The next time you sit down to eat a meal, do not just quickly wolf it down so you can get on to your next task. Take the time to slow down, eat at a sensible pace, embrace the smells and enjoy the taste. Focus on the present to derive the most pleasure, enjoyment, and positivity out of each experience.

Regularly embracing the moment with mindfulness exercises will help you to alleviate anxiety and depression by bringing your attention to the beauty, peacefulness, and enjoyment that is all around. And enjoy the things you are usually way too busy to notice much less embrace.

What are the Top 3 Qualities of Mindfulness Practice?

When we start to implement mindfulness in our daily lives, we will start embracing three main qualities which will gently bring a greater sense of clarity and enjoyment to each moment we experience.

Becoming Purposefully Aware

When you start to practice mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques you will become better and better at registering and enjoying the moment you are in. Do not think about the past or the future, just stop and become fully aware of the moment. You will find that your body and mind slow down and you derive more happiness and enjoyment each and every day.

Practicing Non-Judgmental Observation

You will also learn to register and accept things for how they are in the moment without assigning them as "good" or "bad." Just register their presence and view everything as it is in the moment. Reserving judgment based upon past experience, social conditioning and preconceptions can allow us to truly begin to understand and appreciate what we usually ignore.

Learning to become Non-Reactive to External Factors

With each object, person, sound, or feeling we register, we will automatically feel a reaction whether it's an increase in stress, anxiety, anger, or fear. With mindfulness you will learn to acknowledge what is around you and truly recognize your surroundings without automatically feeling pre-programmed, non-mindful reactions (good or bad.)

How to Practice Mindfulness - 5 Easy Steps

If you are in a stressed, anxious, or high tension state, the idea of being able to achieve a sense of zen-like calmness whenever you need it throughout your day can seem close to impossible.

But it's a lot easier than you think! All you need to do is make a few changes in your approach to your thinking and keep practicing. Your mindset won't change overnight and you won't be successful every time you try. But the more you begin to attune your mind to mindful habits, the easier you'll find it to slip into a relaxed state the next time.

5 Steps to Succesful Mindfulness Practice

Focus on Your Breathing

Your first step is as simple as they come! Just start to notice your breathing, and become mindful of every breath entering and leaving your body. Do not try to adjust your breathing, force deep breaths or do anything initially. Just become aware of the air entering and exiting your body at each moment.

Focusing down on this elemental function of our bodies will reduce everything else to background noise. Everything that seemed too stressful, noisy, and anxiety-inducing a moment will be displaced by our concentration on this hypnotic process which is so core to our very being.

Start to Truly Concentrate

As you start to register the breaths going in and out of your body, break those down to their very basic elements. Feel the breath entering your body through your nose or mouth, notice the sensations, listen to your breath, and feel your lungs become fuller.

Truly concentrating brings our awareness to an entirely different level. Recognize the sensations that accompany each breath and the value that each inhalation and exhalation has in your life and to your body. In breaking down and focusing on each breath minutely we will gain a whole new appreciation and thankfulness for every breath we take.

As you progress this level of concentration can be applied to other activities in your life.

When you sit down to rest your feet at the end of a hard day, rather than just slumping down with a sigh, truly take the time to appreciate the easing of tension along your back, legs, and feet. Feel the support of the chair around you. How does the material feel? When you rest your head back and close your eyes, can you feel the stress begin to leave, is your breathing slowing down?

Every moment can be luxuriated in to reduce stress and anxiety and increase our appreciation of what is around us.

Listen To Your Body

As you learn to slow down and concentrate on your experiences, you will become more aware of your body. When you stop to recognize the moment, along with your breathing register the other parts of your body. How is your posture? What are your hands doing? Are you looking at the ground as you are walking? Are you closed off from the world? Are you feeling tension anywhere?

Our body has so much to tell us when we truly stop and listen. Perhaps you need to stand up a little taller and take a look around. What beautiful sights are you missing as you stare at the cement at your feet? Is unregistered tension in your neck contributing to a sense of discomfort as you go about your work? What about your breathing? If you are anxious you may notice you are breathing a lot quicker than normal.

Listen to your body and what it has to tell you about what you need to do to calm down and alleviate anxiety.

Learn To Release Tension

When you have learned to recognize the physical symptoms of the stress and tension you are feeling, you can work to alleviate them. Taking a few minutes in your day to sit down and tackle the physical strains of your work day or home life, can lead to a much better day overall.

Move somewhere quiet, whether that means going to another room, stepping outside, or even sitting inside your car. Then close your eyes and register each part of your body, from your breathing right down to your feet. Recognize any tension, pain, or strain you might be feeling and visualize yourself letting it go and releasing it.

Then focus down on your breathing again and register it going in and out of your body. make no judgments, quieten your thoughts and just witness your body breathing. When you have attained a calmer, more aware state you can step back into the flow of your daily life.

Implement Meditation Practice While You Walk

Once you have learned to become aware of the details and wonder of your own body, you can zoom out a bit and learn to concentrate on the details of what is around you.

If you are walking down a quiet street, slow your steps and take the time to truly register the breeze across your face and neck, are there any fragrant smells coming from gardens, and what does the ground feel like beneath your feet? Is there a fence nearby? Run your hand along it as you walk, how does it feel against your hand?

Everything around you can be concentrated on to gently bring your anxiety levels down and reduce the enormity of tasks and problems in the context of the world as a whole.

Summary of How to Practice Mindfulness - 5 Easy Steps

As you can see Mindfulness is not an unattainable goal for everyone but yoga experts and mystics. By committing to a few simple steps we can all witness a great positive change in our overall mental well-being and mood. Start following our 5 tips on how to practice mindfulness today and prepare yourself to become aware of the world around you on a whole new level!