Mindfulness helps to improve your concentration, to increase your ability to regulate emotions, and to reduce thoughts that contributes to stress, unfruitful judgment, negative thinking, anxiety and depression.
You can practice mindfulness by sitting down for a formal meditation practice, or by being more intentional and aware of the things you do each day. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress. Simple mindfulness exercises can be practiced anywhere and anytime.
Mindfulness meditation is a mental training practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body. Practicing mindfulness meditation doesn’t require props or preparation (no need for candles, essential oils, or mantras, unless you enjoy them). To get started, all you need is a comfortable place to sit, 3 to 5 minutes of free time, and a judgment-free mindset.
It’s executive control rather than autopilot, and enables intentional actions, willpower, and decisions. But that takes some practice. The more we activate the slow brain, the stronger it gets. Every time we do something deliberate and new, we stimulate neuroplasticity, activating our grey matter, which is full of newly sprouted neurons that have not yet been groomed for the fast brain.
We often move from one task right to the other without pausing or taking a breath. By pausing, we slow down and allow for a more calm transition to our next task. Take 10 deep breaths before you start each task.
Physical exercise can be a mindfulness practice. Whatever the physical activity you can move and breathe in a way that not only gets your blood pumping and invigorates every cell in your body, but also shifts you from feeling busy and distracted to feeling strong and capable.
Driving can be a very stressful activity, but it can also be a tremendous opportunity for developing mindfulness and metta (lovingkindness), and it can even become a kind of meditation practice in its own right.
