Meditation And Mindfulness In Practice
Tips on mindfulness, meditation, and how to apply these practices to your wellness. Plus, a few recorded practices for you to try!
In the world of wellness trends and words get thrown around adding to the flurry of things to “be doing” when it comes to being well. Meditation and mindfulness are top on the list, and for good reason. But rather than letting them get placed in the “omg I need to be doing that more” or adding it to your daily “list” of wellness to-dos, reflect.
Take pause before rushing out to the next meditation class or feeling like you need to create the perfect “zen den” to make it happen. Consuming classes, products, and services isn’t always what you need. Letting guilt, shame, achievement, or external pressures take precedent is the exact opposite of being mindful and can in fact make developing a wellness as a way if being, versus doing, that much harder.
Rather than viewing these things as more wellness things you have to do and practice, making your wellness guilt and to-do list even longer, reflect on what it is to meditate and to be mindful first.
For a few moments, try some self inquiry around the topic. What is meditation? What does mindfulness mean to you? Let your brain contemplate the topic as it relates to you and your life.
Take it a step further and notice if you in fact do meditate (unknowingly) at times or if there is an area in your life that you can be more mindful of, put more thought and care into. Even further, when it comes to meditation techniques, what have your tried? Experienced?
As you take the time to reflect, you may be surprised with what you find. Our default as humans is to be hard on ourselves, assume we aren’t doing it or at least not enough of it, and then rush off to go do more of “it”.
In other words, we react.
(Meditation and mindfulness teach you to respond. Yet another reason to begin a practice)
Or, the exact opposite occurs, inaction, allowing it to be yet another thing ruminating in our minds adding to the clutter of stress inducing thoughts—opposite of what meditation and mindfulness should make you feel.
Let’s try a productive approach.
Think about healthy habits you currently have that have become seamless overtime. Which acts or practices have you been able to consistently keep in your life, with out much effort anymore? How did you make that happen? Maybe the same approach might work for adding more meditation into your life, in being more mindful?
Gather some information before jumping in and signing up for the first meditation challenge you see or committing to one type of meditation 5 days a week. Do a quick google search, talk to friends and family that are into this sorta thing that may be able to guide you. See what peaks your interest as you gather info and lean into that. See where it takes you. Remember, wellness is your path, unique to you. Your meditation practice and approach can look different than someone else’s.
Now that you’ve spent some time reflecting and gathering info, it’s time to take action. And by the way, this whole process doesn’t need to take long, I’m simply suggesting a more mindful approach to incorporating meditation into your life, not suggesting you research the topic for a year. This might take you 30 minutes or max a few days. Anything longer might be a sign of procrastination. Don’t let your reflection become your roadblock.
Next, take the time to put whatever findings you made into practice. Incorporate it in your day to day in a way that works for you. If you find after a few weeks that your plan isn’t working, adjust it. Try something new. Don’t give up. You won’t ever regret adding more mindfulness or meditation into your life.
In my experience, meditation supports mindfulness, like practice sessions for real life that eventually yield a more mindful approach to life. The more I practice and incorporated meditation and meditative activities into my life, the more mindful I’ve also become. How I meditate and practice mindfulness is always evolving, but remains consistent in my life, regardless of how it looks.
I’ve learned meditation is a practice, mindfulness is a way of being. Putting your practice (meditation) into action (mindfulness).
Here is a brainstorm of some of the ways I apply and weave meditation and mindfulness to my life. Hopefully this list gets your wheels turning!
Mindfulness Practices:
Mini meditations. Sitting quietly with eyes closed, focusing on breath for 1-3 minutes
Taking 3 deep breaths when feeling anxious or overwhelmed
Pausing before committing to invitations
Chewing food slowly, savoring taste without distractions
Focus on breathing during mundane tasks like washing dishes and doing laundry
Notice when rushing, question necessity
Responding versus reacting
Maintaining a tidy environment
Reduce waste
Physical Well-being:
Silent walks in nature, outside
Choosing physical activity that brings joy and internal satisfaction versus external rewards
Practicing yoga and exploring other types of meditative movement like Qigong
Mindful food choices, prioritizing nourishment and balance
Various breathing techniques
Self-Care and Personal Growth:
Becoming friends with the calendar (Time management)
Reflect before making purchases (Financial management)
Practice gratitude regularly
Service to others
Learning about various topics
Attend calming classes like soundbaths and tea ceremonies
Self-study
Journaling
Spiritual Practices:
Sitting in prayer
Sitting in meditation for longer periods with meditation music or app to assist, sometimes in silence with the natural sounds around me
Mantras
Singing
If you have a practice of meditation and mindfulness already, fantastic! If not, hopefully this inspires you to take some time to think about it and then take action.
If you need a little help to get you started I’ve recorded a few different breathing techniques and a mini meditation for you to try out.
In this recording
4 count guided breath work - 1:37 min into recording
4-7-8 guided breath work - 7:41 min into recording
Mini meditation - 17:15 min into recording
If you need support on your wellness path I offer 1:1 holistic health coaching sessions that can be done by phone, zoom, or in person.