Mindfulness can seem complicated but it is simply paying attention. In the build up to Christmas we can become extra stressed and taking the time to increase awareness of the wonders of the world around us is a great way to maintain a calm approach to the festivities. As with any new healthy habit it's a good idea to start with small steps and build up as you become more confident. Above all mindfulness should be practised without stress or judgement, an attitude of lets see and compassion for yourself is helpful.There is no right or wrong. A little everyday is a good way to begin.
DAY 1 – Stop and
listen. Spend just a few minutes and focus your mind on sounds. What can you
hear? Close sounds near to you? The rustle of someone in the next seat? Far
away distant sounds? A radio in the
neighbour’s kitchen? Your own body
sounds? Can you hear your own breathing? Try focus on each level of sound in
turn; can you shut out all but your own internal noises? Can you tune your hearing
out really far; stretch it, find tiny sounds just registering from far away.
Play with what you can hear. It’s easier if you close your eyes and turn down
other activity whilst you concentrate on one specific sense. And that’s it…..that’s
mindfulness.
DAY 2 – Take a break.
Sit down somewhere calm and quiet with your favourite hot drink, tea,
coffee, milk, whatever makes you feel soothed and relaxed. Look closely at the
cup, the shape, the colour, the spaces around the cup shape. Watch the liquid
in the cup; perhaps you can notice a tiny movement across the surface. Take in
with your eyes everything you notice about this drink in this cup at this
moment. Pick the cup up and feel its weight in your hands. Notice how the
warmth from the drink changes the temperature of your own skin, you may even be
able to sense the warmth as it travels up from your fingers through to the palm
of your hand and spreads out as it extends further up your forearms. Pick the
cup up higher so you can smell the contents, take a big deep breathe in and feel
the smell of warm comfort as it floats into your mind. Finally take a sip, notice
the sensation of the cup against your lip, the feeling as the drink touches your
teeth then your tongue until it changes the way your whole mouth feels. Savour the
taste; does the first sip taste different when it hits various parts of your mouth?
Can you feel the hot liquid travelling down as you finally swallow it? That’s mindfulness
in the moment.
DAY 3 – Bodily
Awareness. Find somewhere very comfortable to lie or sit. Close your eyes. Focus
on the feeling of your feet where they touch another surface; is it hard? Rough?
Soft? What about the pressure? How about any socks or shoes as they touch the
skin on your feet? How does that feel? Travelling up from your legs take notice
of each body part in turn; really focus on one bit at a time. Be aware of the
physical sensations of clothing as it makes contact with your skin and how each
body part experiences touching the surface it is resting on. When you have
experienced your body as separate parts take time to pull out from the sense of
individual limbs and feel your whole body operating as one unit. This is mindfulness and can be very refreshing!
DAY 4 – In the now.
The main ingredient in the mindful recipe is the present moment. When you consciously
stop and focus on one sensation, one option from all the possible things you could
be sensing, your mind has no choice but to be fully present in the now. We all
have a tendency to add judgements to what we are thinking, mindfulness offers
the chance to take a break from that habitual way of thinking and just be. When
you are going about your life today take some time to focus on one thing at a
time. If you are talking to someone try not to look around or wander what you are
going to do next, give the dialogue your full and undivided attention. If you are
doing the washing up really be aware of the way it feels to do so. Just taking
a few minutes at a time to be fully present with whatever it is you are engaged
in doing and do so without attaching meaning to it. Accept whatever comes up in
such moments with an open mind. Being mindful encourages freedom to explore our
habits
.
DAY 5 –360° Sensory
Space. Find a place today that is completely new to you. It may involve a
bit of forward planning but it needs to be a space you have never experienced before.
Perhaps a street you have never walked down, a gallery you have never visited,
a tree you have never stopped at and pondered. It doesn't need to be anywhere
grand or complicated but it does need to be new to you. In this novel space I want
you to practice using all your senses to trace your sensory surroundings. Just one
minute per sense to discover how this place looks, smells, sounds, tastes (if
appropriate), and feels to your touch. Really absorb all the perceptions that you
experience in a brief five minutes. Open up all your senses to the world around
you in this fleeting moment. Take in all the abundance of sensations. Then just
continue to be very quiet and turn your attention inside. Turn off the external
stimulus and observe how you feel. Allow it to be whatever it is. (This can be
quite a powerful experience so just accept however you feel and approach it
with a sense of what if?) Give yourself some time to re-locate in the space
before moving on. This is the five point sense meditation and a great way to
ground yourself whenever you need some mindful space. It can be done anywhere, any time, but it’s a good idea to practice it for the first time in new surroundings
so as not to be influenced by previous experience.
Just five minutes of daily mindfulness can benefit so many
areas of our life; we can restore a healthy friendly relationship to ourselves,
reconnect with our internal positive resources, and release abundant creativity.
Mindfulness is the true path to the heart; of being the most authentic version
of you in the present moment. And there is a unique freedom in being just that.
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