Practicing mindfulness and meditation encourages us to set aside judgment, embrace our innate curiosity about the mind’s workings, and approach our experiences with warmth and kindness, both towards ourselves, and others.
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Mindfulness
Mindfulness is our innate ability to be fully present, conscious of our surroundings and actions, without being excessively reactive or stressed by external factors.
While mindfulness is inherent in all of us, it becomes more accessible through daily practice.
Being mindful involves focusing on your immediate sensory experiences or your mental state, including thoughts and emotions. Numerous studies suggest that training your brain in mindfulness leads to physical changes in brain structure.
Meditation
Meditation is an exploration, not a fixed destination. It doesn’t empty your mind of thoughts completely or eliminate distractions. Instead, it’s a unique space where every moment holds significance. Through meditation, we delve into the intricacies of our minds: our sensations (like feeling the air on our skin or catching a strong scent in the room), our emotions (from love and hate to craving and aversion), and our thoughts (imagine an elephant playing a trumpet).
Find time for Mindfulness and Meditation daily if posssible
1. Find a quiet Place
Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your head, neck, and back straight but not stiff. You can lie down if its more comfortable. It’s also helpful to wear comfortable, loose clothing so you’re not distracted.
2. Focus on your Breath
Become aware of your breath, feeling the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall as the air enters your nostrils and leaves your nostrils. Pay attention to the temperature change when the breath is inhaled versus when it’s exhaled.
3. Body Scan
Begin anywhere you like — the top of your head, left foot, right hand, right foot. Focus on that spot as you continue breathing slowly and deeply. Bring your awareness to sensations of pain, tension, discomfort, or anything out of the ordinary. Then mentally move to another part of your body and do the same. Do it in a way that makes sense to you, whether you move from top to bottom or up one side and down the other. If your thoughts drift, simply return your awareness to where you left off scanning.
4. Thought awareness
When thoughts arise in your mind, instead of ignoring or suppressing them, acknowledge them, stay composed, and focus on your breathing as a grounding force. Don’t be hard on yourself if this happens; the practice of returning to your breath and refocusing on the present is the practice of mindfulness. Visualise your thoughts as clouds drifting by; observe them as they move and transform. Incorporate this practice as frequently as necessary during your meditation sessions.
5. Acceptance
Mindful meditation can help ground you and bring acceptance in your daily life. Acceptance helps us move through unpleasant emotions and helps us create change.
By trying to force situations to be how we want them and when we don’t accept the world as it is, we often create tension in ourselves, our relationships, and at work.
Remind yourself that in this moment, reality can’t be changed.
Remind yourself that there are causes for this reality that are outside of your control.
Think about what you would do if you were able to accept what happened (and then do those things as though you had already accepted what happened).
What are the moments, experiences, or situations that are hard for you to accept? What does it feel like? Where do you feel it in your body? Do your reaction show patterns?
