How would
you like to reduce stress and emotional reactivity, and increase focus and
well-being? You can improve your health while you're at it. What if I told you
that cultivating mindfulness can bring these rewards? There are
even more benefits. Research suggests memory gains and relationship
satisfaction are also associated with mindfulness practices.
There are as
many ways to become more mindful as there are people, so here are my
suggestions for cultivating your mindfulness. You have to try them out, and see
what fits for you.
Breathe mindfully, by taking slow breaths that start in the abdomen and work
their way up to the top of your head, exhaling as slowly as you breathe in. Spend
5 minutes a day breathing this way. Try breathing into your stress, be it a
stressed muscle or a stressful thought.
Notice your
thoughts without judgment. This means just noticing, not
questioning, editing, criticizing or controlling your thinking. Observe your
thoughts nonjudgmentally for 5 minutes each day.
Experience what you're feeling in
your body without trying to change it. Take 5 minutes daily to do a body
scan. Start at your toes and work your way up to the scalp, just noticing
what's going on in your body. Simply be aware of places you're tight, loose or
neutral.
Focus on what you're doing with awareness. Whether you're walking (feel the
air on your face and your feet hitting the ground), eating (notice texture and
taste) or sitting (attend to body temperature and heart rate), try noticing all
the perceptions and sensations you experience during a 5 minute period.
Meditate daily. Choose a type of meditation that suits you. There are many options.
Do it daily for 5 minutes on your own, or find a meditation center or group where
you can practice and learn. Many people find that practicing with a group
deepens the experience.
Practice loving kindness toward yourself and others. This is a meditation in which you wish for things
like safety, health, happiness or freedom for yourself. Then you extend that
wish to your loved ones, to acquaintances, and finally, to your not-so-loved
ones, for 5 minutes of your day.
Practice an ancient healing art like yoga, tai chi or qi gong by spending 5
minutes a day on it. Taking a few classes will teach you the basics. Simple
poses can be learned in no time on-line. You can practice alone. As with
meditation, sometimes practicing with your kids, partner or a friend is a nice
change.
Pick a time
you can practice one or more of these daily. Work it into your schedule. As
your daily mindfulness practice becomes routine, you will notice that an increase
in awareness and a decrease in judgment begins to permeate other aspects of
your life. Control over your thinking and behavior becomes easier. It all comes
together to reduce stress and enhance well-being. I'm not saying five minutes will
bring all the rewards, but I suspect that once you start doing five, it will
turn into 10, then 15, and who knows how much well-being you can attain?
Try some Iyengar Yoga Music to get
in the mudra.
Originally published at YourTago.
8 comments:
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Thanks. This is a positive psychology blog...so mosts posts are positive :)
Hi,
This is a really helpful blog. I just might try this everyday. Thank you for sharing.
All the best,
Shariza
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