Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere at any time. This article describes five steps to keeping calm and staying anchored during this busy period.
STEP 01
Mindful Breathing
The first step is learning to become aware of the breath. It is a simple exercise and can be a very powerful skill to develop. The idea is to simply notice the experience of breathing in and out by bringing attention to the breath in the here and now. Focusing on the belly, or the chest or noticing air flowing in and out of the nostrils can help bring awareness to the breath. As you focus on the in breath and the out breath you may notice your mind slowing down as the focus has shifted from thinking to mindfully breathing.
STEP 02
Awareness of your body
The second step is bringing mindful awareness to the body. Begin my bringing awareness to your feet on the floor. Notice what sensations are present as you do this exercise. See if you can feel the solidity of the floor beneath your feet. See if you can feel your body, the weight of it, its heaviness …its capacity to feel alive in this moment. As you become aware of the body you will start to feel connected to the present moment.
STEP 03
Releasing Tension
As you become more aware of the body you begin by noticing tension in the body. Our neck, shoulders and jaw often carry the stresses and strains of everyday living. You might feel tightness in the belly and chest, particularly when you feel squeezed and under pressure. To release tension in the body practise bringing a gentle awareness to the body as you breathe in and as you breathe out practice releasing the tension in your body. You may notice the body softening as you do this. The third step can be practiced lying, sitting or standing.
STEP 04
Mindful Listening
The fourth step is deliberately bringing attention to sound. Listening to sound without immediately wanting to label it strengthens our ability to really listen to one another. What sounds can you hear right now? As you learn to slow down you become more aware of what is happening around you. It can be helpful to view every sound as an opportunity to come back to the present moment. Mindful listening can help us stay connected to the people we care about.
STEP 05
Don’t believe everything you think.
Learning to recognise that thoughts are simply thoughts can be very liberating. You don’t need to believe them or react to them. Our thoughts can have very powerful effects on how we feel and what we do. Often those thoughts are triggered and run off quite automatically. By becoming aware, over and over again, of the thoughts and images passing through the mind, and letting go of them as we return our attention to the breath and the moment, it is possible to get some distance and perspective on. When your mind wanders to thinking, practise gently bringing it back to the breath.