An Introduction to Mindfulness

After dealing with my work being deleted, we’re back. Much like last week, I wanted to focus on the present, how to get there, and how to live there. In all the busy things we do in life, I really don’t think we slow down enough to the point that we almost don’t know how to. We’re stuck in this constant state of wanting to do more.

mind·ful·ness

the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.”their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition”
a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

Thanks, dictionary.com.

One of the easiest ways to be mindful (that I’ve found that works for me) is yoga. The emphasis is on a state of just being. This doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everyone, but I enjoy slowing down and focusing on the present and how my body is moving in that moment.

“When we are mindful, we carefully observe our thoughts and feelings without judging them as good or bad” (Psychology Today).

Actively choose yourself and your needs. You don’t need to do all the things. I know you want to, but you don’t NEED to, so stop treating those things like they’re more important than you.

Being present can change it all. It changes your attitude and outlook. It can calm you down, it’s actually a way to reduce anxiety called grounding (Google can tell you this with a simple “grounding anxiety” search if you want to know more). There are so many ways to do this. I mentioned I like yoga and help slowing down, but it can look however you want. Whatever it takes to bring your mind back to right now is going to be helpful when practicing mindfulness.

If there’s one thing you take away from this-I want you to know it’s all about being present in the moment you’re in.

The following how-to steps come straight from mindful.org. They seem to know what they’re doing better than I do!

How to Practice Mindfulness

While mindfulness might seem simple, it’s not necessarily all that easy. The real work is to make time every day to just keep doing it. Here’s a short practice to get you started:

Take a seat. Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.
Set a time limit. If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as 5 or 10 minutes.
Notice your body. You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, in lotus posture, you can kneel—all are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.
Feel your breath. Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes out and as it goes in.
Notice when your mind has wandered. Inevitably, your attention will leave the sensations of the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing this—in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes—simply return your attention to the breath.
Be kind to your wandering mind. Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the content of the thoughts you find yourself lost in. Just come back.

That’s it! That’s the practice. You go away, you come back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible. (https://www.mindful.org/how-to-practice-mindfulness/)

That’s all I have for this post, again this is just an introduction! Hopefully there are things from this you can try and let me know if you do! I love the feedback and love hearing from readers.

You’ve probably noticed by now that I use a lot of help from other websites. I’ve listed some more below that I either cited or for further reading! I’m such a beginner at most of the things I talk about and want to give accurate information with my personal insights, so here are some websites I found helpful or interesting!

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mindfulness