Being mindful
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Being mindful means being aware of your thoughts, emotions, and how you are feeling both physically and mentally. Mindfulness is a form of meditation with an important aspect to it - acceptance. It means being aware of your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Remember there is no right or wrong way to think or feel in any moment.
By being more mindful and aware of your thoughts and feelings, you may be able to teach yourself to live in the moment and enjoy life as it happens.
When we are not mindful, we speak without thinking. We allow our emotions to get out of control. We are worrying about the future or regretting the past. We feel the victim of circumstances, events, and others. Without mindfulness, we don’t understand cause and effect. We can’t see past obstacles. We are powerless and overly emotional.
Mindfulness is being aware in each and every moment. How often do you go about your day without really being present? Have you ever walked somewhere – maybe whilst on your phone - and not realized how you got to your destination? Have you found words coming out of your mouth without realizing it? When you are mindful each action, word, and thought are conscious. Being mindful means taking responsibility for what we are thinking, saying, and doing – and if it is not the experience we want, we change it.
One parable to help with mindfulness is about a jedi at the jedi temple…
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She sees a wise jedi master and asks him for the key to enlightenment. The jedi master says, “Wash your bowl from breakfast.” The jedi races to the kitchen with her bowl, washes it quickly, and then returns to the jedi master waiting for his words on enlightenment.
The old jedi master again says, “Wash your bowl or as Master Yoda would say, be one with the bowl.”
The message is that enlightenment is achieved through mindfulness. It is not until the young jedi can be in 100% in the moment while he is doing something as simple as washing a bowl that she is fully mindful and being mindful is the foundation for enlightenment.
Easy ways you can practice mindfulness...
...Eat mindfully
When you scoff down your meal on autopilot while distracted by the television or phone or constant conversation, you miss out on the delicious taste and smell of your food. You're also less likely to feel satisfied and nourished, because you 'missed out' on the fact that you ate.
It can be helpful to remember this phrase: When you eat, eat. When you drink, drink.
In other words, don't attempt to do fifty other things when you sit down to a meal, coffee or green juice. Simply focus all of your attention on what is in front of you.
...Walk mindfully
Take a beautiful tip from spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh...
"walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet." In others words, when you are out and about, pay attention occasionally to the movement of your body and your surroundings.
Observe what is going on around you -- the sights, sounds and life unfolding. You may be amazed to find a whole new world you hadn't even noticed before."
...Connect with your senses
Your senses -- touch, smell, taste, sound and sight -- are your gateway into the present moment.
But when you are lost in thought, you don't experience what your senses are picking up.
Pause to soak up the beautiful aroma of your coffee. The salty ocean air. The beauty and diversity of flowers in your neighbourhood. The mouth-watering waft of wood-fire pizza coming from your local restaurant as you pass it.
...Pause between action
Pause and listen to the sound of the phone ringing before answering it. Putting mini pauses between actions in your day can ground you in your inner being, clear your mind, and provide you with fresh energy for the new task ahead. Think of it like putting energetic bookends at the start and end of each activity.
...Listen wholeheartedly
Most of us never truly listen to people when they are speaking to us, because we're too busy planning what to say next, judging what they are saying, or getting lost in daydreams altogether.
Next time you're in a conversation, make it your goal to fully listen to what the other person is saying to you, without getting lost in your thoughts.
Trust that you will intuitively know the right thing to say next when it's your turn to speak.
Get lost in the flow of doing things you love.
We all have certain activities we love doing -- they connect us with our inner spirit and bring us fully alive.
For you it could be cooking, dancing, singing, gardening, writing, painting, bushwalking, swimming or building Ikea furniture.
We love doing these things so much that we often lose ourselves in them. That is, we lose our smaller self -- our churning thoughts and worries - because we are pouring all of our love and attention into the present moment.
Incorporate more flow activities in your weekly routine, and your happiness will skyrocket.
...Mediate daily
There's no getting around it -- meditation has huge benefits and increases your levels of energy, happiness, inspiration and inner peace.
It doesn't have to take long. Even 10 minutes a day can have a positive impact on your life. It will also strengthen your mindfulness muscles, so you'll find it much easier to become present throughout the day.
...Mix up your routine
There's more than one reason you feel amazing on holidays. When you're in a new place, you automatically become more present and mindful -- simply because there are so many new sights, sounds and smells to soak up. Your senses take over for a short while and it frees you from your mind.
No travel plans? That's fine. Mix up your routine -- it will have the same effect. Take a different route, stop at a different shop, visit a new place locally or try something you've never done before like paddle boarding, cooking a new recipe or writing calligraphy.
Take a moment right now “to wash your bowl” and to think about your own thoughts and feelings and consider starting your mindfulness practice today.
A last thought…
Observe your thoughts and emotions
You are not your thoughts -- you are the observer of your thoughts. The fact that you can listen to them shows that they are not you. You are something higher and separate. By simply becoming aware of your thoughts and non-judgmentally observing them as they come and go -- like clouds passing in the sky -- you are being more present. You are not getting caught up in your thoughts and forgetting that they are not you.
As you observe, resist the temptation to get carried away by a particular thought down a tunnel into the past or future. Picture your thoughts like trains at the station - you're on the platform watching them come and go, but you're not going to jump on and go for a ride.