4 ways to Bring Mindfulness Into Everyday Life

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness is a beneficial and, wildly therapeutic practice that we can do anywhere and anytime. in the constant hustle of our busy lives, this aspect of ourselves often takes a backseat. We forget to be present for the ones we love and, most importantly ourselves.

Learning to integrate mindfulness into all aspects of our lives will generate amazing long term benefits from better sleep, better mood, and a healthier brain and body overall. Learning to be present for ourselves is how we can present the best version ourselves day after day.

Fascinatingly research has shown that mindfulness strengthens our ability to efficiently regulate our emotional responses and thus our emotional states, and with our current mental health climate, this is a much-needed benefit (Remmers, Topolinski, & Koole, 2016).

With this post and the blog overall, I hope to accurately present the tools necessary for each of us to embrace the people we want to be. Here are 4 ways you can start today.

1. Breath

Breathing is one of the simplest ways each of us can ground ourselves in the present moment. Taking fuller deeper breaths improves, concentration, mental clarity, energy, and most of all mood. By taking ownership of such a crucial aspect of our health we can begin to take better ownership of our lives.

The next time you are anxious or overwhelmed or angry, Take that time to take deeper breaths with longer an emphasis on the exhale. Abdominal breathing is the foundation for better oxygen intake, many of us after exiting childhood begin only using the top half of our lungs to breathe, abdominal breathing is the natural and healthier option.

There are also many breathing exercises used to cultivate mindfulness my favorite is the “Relaxing Breath” or The “4-7-8” Exercise.

How to do it: Close your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose for 4 counts. Then hold your breath for 7 counts. lastly, exhale very slow, while counting to a total of 8 counts until you reach the last of your breath.

2. Meditation

The history of meditation goes back thousands of years with its practitioners being mystical yogi’s and devout monks, and for good reason. The list of health benefits seems to grow every year as science tries to catch up with the anecdotal evidence that has existed for thousands of years.

Meditation allows us to clear our minds, connect with our inner selves and cultivate mindfulness, reduces anxiety and promote well-being. Research has even shown mediation to slow the aging process and boost cognition in regular mediators.

Meditating in the morning, at night or right before work is all ways we can integrate this extremely beneficial mindful practice into our routines. and the best part is it only takes anywhere between ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes to do effectively, whatever time frame works for your schedule. Meditation can also be tailored, there are various kinds of meditation styles and within those anyone can find the one that suits them.

How to do it:

Well the first thing about meditation is that you should not measure how well or bad your meditation practice based off of how many thoughts you had. You cant truly stop thought, essentially meditation works with you “awareness” of your thoughts. Your only goal is to feel relaxed, breath and allow your thoughts to come and go as they please. For beginners I recommend simply focusing on breath, counting your inhales and exhales, and using white noise or focusing on a rudimentary sound in the room like a fan.

When you finish a meditation always give yourself a minute and come out of that state in a calm and steady manner. Start moving your feet and work you way up when your’re ready to leave a meditation, this slow ascension will allow the effects to permeate the rest of your day.

3. Yoga

Yoga is another practice that has been part of human society’s as early as 5,000+ years ago, with its historical origins in Northern India.

Yoga is often categorized as an active form of meditation, not only does yoga strengthen the body, it has numerous benefits for the mind and emotional health. There are numerous studies that prove yoga can modulate our stress response and help manage depression and anxiety.

Taking the time to fit yoga into your schedule will not only give you the physique you want, it’ll give you the mental fortitude necessary to excel in your day to day.

4. Take A Break

This one was a hard one for me, In western society the worse thing you can be seen as is lazy or unmotivated. our society urges us to get up and “grind”. Without meaning to this has created a society of busy bodies who don’t know how to ever relax, and be completely present. we’ve become accustomed to always projecting ourselves into the future never embracing the present moment, never taking a break.

A practical way to check in is to “schedule” breaks and prioritize them. Taking time to recharge and check in is not being lazy it’s crucial so that we are able to work at our best when work is needed. There is a time and place for passivity and action, You are at your best when you make space for yourself within yourself.

To Recap:

• Breath
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Take A Break

Mindfulness is an important skill to cultivate for a fully enriching life and it’s relatively simple to integrate into our daily routines. Overtime the benefits of doing one or all of these will yield lifelong results.