Mindfulness for Everyday Living
June 4, 2024By: Joy Freeman
Categories: Spiritual Wellness, Your Wellness
Mindfulness is a popular buzzword. We are told that living and acting mindfully is good for our physical, emotional and spiritual health. But what is mindfulness? The most common association is meditation and sitting quietly on a meditation pillow for 20 minutes or using an app for guided meditation. These types of mindfulness are easily accessed and appropriate for someone who can sit for extended periods of time. But what if you don’t have time to sit quietly for 20 minutes? Maybe you are just starting on a mindfulness journey and 20 minutes feels too long. Is there a mindfulness practice for you? Yes.
Mindfulness Practices for Limited Time
There are many definitions for mindfulness, but they all come down to one essential idea: being present to the current moment in an intentional way. This means that anything we do could be done in a mindful way. For me as a busy working mother and wife, I fit mindfulness into my day, even if it’s just 20 seconds here and there. The other beautiful thing about this approach is any amount of time is beneficial. And it adds up over the day: 20 seconds here or a minute there can be as beneficial as a 20-minute meditation session.
Sounds good you say, but how do I put this into practice? Here are two of my favorite ways to bring small mindful moments into my daily life:
- When I wash my hands, I fully focus on just washing my hands. What does it feel like as my hands get wet under the stream of water? What does the water sound like coming out of the faucet? I feel the texture of the soap as it suds on my hands. What do I see as the soap and water flow down the drain? Notice the way your hands feel as they go from wet to dry.
- During meals, put away the distractions and focus on just eating your meal or snack. What are the colors, textures and smells coming from your food? With each bite, what do you taste, feel and experience?
Incorporate Movement
Moving mindfulness is another approach to mindfulness, which involves moving our bodies in focused and intentional ways. I like yoga and tai chi for two moving mindfulness activities. I also discovered I can do just 5 or 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes or an hour to settle my mind and return to a more focused state.
Even more simply, just go outside for a mindful walk. Put away the cell phone and pay attention to how your feet are on the ground. Can you feel the wind or sunshine on your face? What sounds do you hear? Let these sensations become your focus and help quiet your brain and the chatter inside it. Again, a short, intentionally focused walk can really help and doesn’t require a significant time commitment.
Encouragement for Getting Started
When I first learned tai chi, my instructor would tell us you only get better at what you practice. With something new, you aren’t going to be great at it. I was not great at tai chi and remembering the movements when I first started. But, I kept trying and with each 15-minute session I remembered a little more, to the point I can now draw from many tai chi movements anytime I need mindful movement.
It can be the same for you. Maybe you can only focus on your chosen mindfulness practice for 2 minutes at a time until your brain gets distracted. That is OK. Celebrate your intentional 2 minutes and try again later. Over time, you can lengthen and grow your practice.
And finally, choose the mindfulness practices that work for you. Each person’s practice will look uniquely different. This is not a place to compare ourselves to others. But instead to compassionately take your own mindfulness adventure.
