Developing a "Mindfulness" Practice
A few brief thoughts, ideas, & 19-minute meditation for you!
Mindful. Quiet. Focused. Aware.
Consider…
A quiet moment. A small, focused piece of time. A brief period each day just to be with yourself.
Stillness. Silence.
To press pause on thoughts, obligations, rushing, busy, overwhelm, worry…all the things we can’t seem to stop (or - all the things that we aren’t choosing to stop).
Being mindful throughout the day can help us function in a more elevated, concrete, intelligent, intuitive, connected manner.
Being mindful takes practice…consistent practice.
In order to become mindful, we develop a practice that consists of a few moments of silence.
We might call this practice: meditation, prayer, or breath awareness.
What happens when I neglect my mindfulness practice?
I have to recheck things (a lot)…
I can’t remember if I’ve locked the house door or car door. I have to walk back to check the door or click the car key and hear the beep.
100% of the time, after checking, I’ve locked the door in question.
But because I wasn't mindful and present with myself in the moment of locking the door, anxiety and worry builds up and becomes so uncomfortable…I have to go back and check.
What a waste of time and energy (mental and physical)!
Maybe you’ve experienced something similar. “Did I turn off the stove/lights/hair straightener?”
What does a mindfulness practice look like?
Your practice can take many forms. And the practice you need on any given day can change. Your practice can include…
Prayer
Meditation
Exercise
Walks in nature
Breath awareness
Work with intentions or mantras
What are two key components of mindfulness?
Having a sense of awareness
A mindfulness or meditation practice is like a cycle, a circle.
To cultivate awareness (in body, mind, environment) we need silence.
In order to become silent, we need to have a mindfulness practice.
Silence can be scary. That’s why there are so many different practice options available to us (find a few listed below!).
Holding compassion for yourself
It is difficult to care for ourselves if we don’t hold compassion for all beings in high regard. This includes holding compassion for ourselves!
Developing a mindfulness or meditation practice is a form of self-care.
When we take good care of ourselves, we are then truly capable of caring for others…which is a pure act of compassion.
How do you begin a practice?
Start slow - a one or two-minute practice is perfectly acceptable
Release expectations - your mind will wander, you will be interrupted…this is normal
Accept that it takes time - practice & repeat, practice & repeat..practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes a healthy habit
Be curious, open, and free with your mind and attitude - you never know what you will find in the beautiful, quiet, expansive moments of silence…your possibilities are endless…because you are an infinite being
Allow for distraction and redirection, in your mind and environment - it’s best to just practice, rather than wait for the “right” moment…life gets interrupted all the time, so does meditation
Why bother?!
It typically doesn’t feel good to experience stress, overwhelm, worry, anger, resentment, discomfort, tension in the body.
When we are mindful, we are self-aware.
The more mindful we are, the faster we realize when our jaw is tight, our shoulders are tight, our back is tight, our pulse is racing, what we or a loved one needs in any given moment (through cultivated awareness and connection to intuition)…
Once we are self-aware, aware of the physical sensations in the body, we can then go to the mind to see what is triggering the physical discomfort.
Once we are mindfully aware of how we are feeling in our body, mind, and spirit, we then have the ability to shift our feeling from the negative to the positive…shift the tension to lightness, serenity, peace - in body, mind, and spirit.
Start simply…simply start
A mindfulness or meditation practice can be as brief and simple as
Saying a prayer before falling asleep
Scanning the body while laying in bed - when you wake up each morning or at bedtime - listen to the audio below ⬇️
Watching your feet step, one placed in front of the other, during a walk
Saying to yourself, or writing in your journal, the three things you are grateful for each day - or try this 15 minute gratitude practice
Hugging a loved one to sleep, aware of breath and heartbeats
Guided Meditation
This 19-minute guided meditation includes intention setting, a full body scan, and 7 minutes of silence (savasana). Enjoy!
What will you choose?!
The choice of your practice matters less than actually beginning and doing the practice!
There is no need to overthink it. Instead, make the choice and practice!
The more you practice, the more mindful you become.
The act of being “mindful” becomes your nature…as was intended by “nature” the moment you took your first breath!
Much love to you…today and always!
xoxo Michelle
I’d love and be grateful for your help in sharing this work!
If only more people knew how easy, important, and freeing a meditation practice can be!
I’m here as a resource, a guide, a teacher!
If someone you know could benefit from the words and guided meditations included here…please feel free to share!