To be mindful means to focus on the present moment, to be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and your surroundings. It also means to give your mind a break from thinking about the past or worrying about the future. It wants you to appreciate the present more. Hence, to be fully present, here are 4 mindfulness techniques that you should know.
Wake up
Usually, do you wake up feeling excited and smiling for the new day or do you roll out of bed feeling dazed and irritable?
Well, lots of people feel incomplete in the morning before they energize themselves with a cup or two of coffee. Transforming your morning routine into a mindful one will be beneficial especially for someone who is not a morning person. But how can you establish that?
- Stop hitting the snooze button and ended up running late. Wake up when your alarm rings and take your time to enjoy a peaceful morning.
- Take a moment to focus on your breathing. Feel the way your body relaxes on the bed, the weight of your head on your pillow.
- Once you get out of bed, do a few stretches to warm up your body.
- Meditate, even for 10 minutes.
- Ponder upon your goals for the day and promise yourself to behave with compassion, patience, and kindness towards others.
- Feed your body with a healthy breakfast and pair it with a cup of herbal tea. Enjoy your time to eat and drink mindfully instead of swallowing it all at once.
- If time allows, do some exercises. Go for a walk or jog or maybe practice yoga.
Breathing
Breathing. You’ve done it every single second of your lives. But the difference is when you are aware of your breath, which you rarely are. So, to start mindful breathing, take a look at your posture and the quality of your breath right now. Sit on somewhere in a comfortable position, and ask yourself:
- Is your breathing deep or shallow? Smooth or ragged?
- Can you breathe deeply? Is it easy to do? Does it feel natural?
- Does it fill your upper lungs (making the chest rise) or does it flow fully into your lungs (making the stomach rise)?
Continue to breathe deeply and observe it. When you keep on focusing on your breathing, your mind doesn’t have any space to think about the past nor the future.
Eating
Have you experienced feeling unsatisfied after eating? Well, that may be because you are rushing the process and didn’t savor the taste. Hence, to feel more grateful and satisfied with your meal, you should practice mindful eating. How?
- First and foremost, set aside all distractions. Turn off your TV, put your phone away, and close any books, newspaper or even a magazine. Use your time to focus only on the delicious meal in front of you.
- Realize the process to make this meal possible: from the farmers who grew your food, to the rain that watered it, and all the people and events that making this meal complete.
- Always shows your gratitude and appreciation for your meal. Acknowledge your good fortune while extending compassion to those who do not have sufficient food.
- Concentrate on your food as you eat. Chew and taste your food. Do not rush it.
- You can also enjoy your meal in silence once in a while (maybe once a week). This will helps your mind to focus only on your food. You will be more grateful for its flavors.
- Once you’ve done eating, savor the moment. Be thankful again as your hunger is satisfied.
Get on the floor
Do you remember the last time you sat on the floor? Since you were a baby, you have been crawling, playing and moving all over the floor. However, as you grow up, your familiarity with the ground has decreased and become more accustomed to sitting on couches and chairs. This need to change as sitting on the floor will make you more aware of your posture.
Try to sit on the floor for thirty minutes per day. You can do it while you’re watching the TV while getting some work done or even while chopping your vegetables for dinner. When sitting on a big comfortable desk chair or a cozy sofa, it’s way too easy to forget about your posture. Other than that, you can also do some stretching exercises while you are on the floor.
