Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present.It means living in the moment and awakening to your current experience, not dwelling on the past or dreaming about the future.
The concept of mindfulness has been around thousands of years. In fact it has always been one of the fundamental principle of Buddhism.
Since its that old, it obviously has very many benefits and there have been extensive model studies that proved them. The practice is very simple and the results are powerful. When you practice mindfulness, you will begin experiencing a lot more in your life. You will feel more content, less stressed, increased appreciation and gratitude towards everyone and everything.
So how can you inculcate mindfulness in life ? Here are two simple methods of I have followed when I began.
For starters, all mindfulness requires of you is that for a moment, you ditch the past and future focused thoughts, and pay attention to NOW. You’re sitting there and you’re reading this. Hold on to this moment, and just
1.Breathe
Yes, it’s that simple. Something you do naturally except this time you’re going to focus with what’s going on.
As you breath in, mentally say “I am breathing in.” As you breathe out, mentally say “I am breathing out.”
When you say this aloud mentally, you are actually noticing that you are breathing in or breathing out. You’re being physically present in this moment.
Repeat it for as long as you can hold this attention.
2. Engage All Your Senses
The other simple way to practice mindfulness is to put all your senses to work. Just pay attention to what you see, hear, feel, smell. Engage all your senses simply by paying attention.
Right now, I’m sitting at my desk writing this article; I hear people talking outside; I feel the subtle wind on me etc.
As you notice what’s happening right here, right now, you are practicing being mindful and fully present.
It’s as simple as that. These are my two tricks which was my guide when I began inculcating mindfulness in my life and I hope you find this short sweet introduction to mindfulness useful. Just remember Mindfulness is not something that one “does”, it is a way of being. As you practice it regularly it will become part of your life.
You can watch the series of videos on Mindfulness here
