EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS

Slow down.

Observe the natural flow of your breath while doing everyday activities. 

Stop (stop everything you are doing, stand sit or lie as you are)

Take breaths (watch your breath however it falls all the way in and out)

Observe body & mind (feelings, sensations, thoughts, emotions) 

Proceed (with a renewed sense of presence) 

At meals - Take a moment to reflect on where you food has come from, Imagine all the intricate complex system of events which have taken place in order for the food to come to be on your plate. Give thanks for being able to eat the food. 

Simplify your life - give up lesser pleasure for greater ones.

Get a bodily sense of someone you know who is extremely focused and aware, This uses the empathy systems in the brain (ACC & Insula) to stimulate within yourself the mindful nature of that person. 

At Traffic Lights - check your breathing and muscle tension.

“Me” Time - Take time every day to be with yourself. Try for 5 minutes however even 1 minute would help. Be still, watch your breath and allow yourself to be however you are in that moment, even if that experience is not positive, allow yourself the freedom to be how you are. (you’ve got the rest of the day to ‘do’) Even doing a few stretches before may help. Enjoy.

When you can, do one thing at a time. Reduce multitasking.

Reestablish your intention to stay mindful regularly. Notice when your mind has wondered and bring yourself back to this moment by watching your breath, noticing your body sensations, or the sounds in your environment.

Talk less, listen more.

Notice your ‘felt sense’ to people you interact with. Are you tense / relaxed, comfortable / uncomfortable. What is your body trying to tell you? Your body is a “truth meter” allow it to reveal to you some inner lesson about the person you are coming into contact with. 

Notice your posture - How am I standing? What am I holding onto / tensing. Can I relax even more deeply in this moment?

Walking - Notice the feeling of the ground beneath your feet, enter into that feeling sense the support and holding your body gives to you as you move from place to place. 

If you don’t know what to do, do nothing. If you don’t no what to say, say nothing.

Take regular breaks  - enjoy what you love to do, not what you “should” be doing.

Studying - STOP. Have a glass of water and feel the coolness, taste it and notice the sensation on your lips and tongue. watch the water travel down your throat into your belly, This focused attention activates the Peripheral Nervous System and helps to calm the Autonomic Nervous System making you more relaxed and present with the task at hand.