How To Be Mindful On The Go!

To some individuals, being mindful while on the go might seem a contradiction in itself. However, the truth of the matter is that there are a plethora of ways to cultivate the art of mindfulness that do not involve simply sitting still.

People turn to mindfulness for many reasons. For example, they may have a medical condition that needs managing, work issues that require resolving, or just simply want to feel more present in their everyday lives. With the pace of modern life, it is clear to see why people become easily distracted and lead somewhat complicated lives as a result – all of which can be both emotionally and physically draining.

Whatever the reasons may be as to why a person turns to mindfulness, it should, indeed, help them to create a more balanced lifestyle. That said, mindfulness should not be seen as a magical cure-all, but more an efficient way of relating to personal issues differently.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; live the actual moment. Only this moment is life ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Interestingly, research has revealed that physiological changes do actually take place within an individual practicing mindfulness meditation. Such changes occur within the brain and some people experience better blood pressure and an enhanced immune system.

The above said, even those among us who practice mindfulness faithfully, can find it somewhat challenging to take what we have learned and incorporate it into our everyday lives.  Instead, we tend to allow ourselves to be distracted and develop automatic behavior patterns instead.

A lot of people assume that they have to “find the time” for their mindfulness practice instead of implementing it into their daily routine. However, should you decide to practice mindfulness anytime and anywhere, it will become easier and easier for you to do so and you should find yourself doing this quite naturally throughout your daily life. Here’s how to go about it:

When And What To Do

If we do not know what to do or when to do it, we could end up doing nothing at all! Mindfulness prompts, however, should solve that problem for you. All you have to do is select a single activity or practice, and simply focus on it during the day. By keeping your prompt with you, it should make the job somewhat easier. This very basic, yet powerful practice will remind you as to what you need to keep focusing on daily. The power of repetition will help it take root in your memory, so it becomes available at some point in the future.

It is important to remember that prompts can be set for any time, as often as you prefer. Research does suggest, however, that practicing mindfulness on a regular basis is the most efficient way of bringing about positive change. Remember, each time you adopt and practice a different approach to something, new neural pathways in your brain are laid down, thus changing your brain and how it ‘ticks.’ Therefore, the more often you do this, the quicker it should happen. You should also find that as time goes by some of your practices are carried out spontaneously, without having to think too much about them.

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it ~ Sylvia Boorstein

Just Go For It

Are you one of those people, like myself, who focuses solely on the things you are good at, or like doing? Then let’s get out of that habit. Why so? Well, by doing something irrespective of how we might feel about it, encourages us to become more courageous when it comes to approaching things we would rather not face up to, but nevertheless still need to do.

Don’t find the idea of a prompt appealing, or even relevant? If not, try to notice what exactly is happening here. Ask yourself what thoughts you are thinking and how your body is feeling at the time. Indeed, by finding the courage to experiment with things not necessarily being the way you would prefer them to be, can be immensely liberating.

What is your intention?

If you want to truly support your mindfulness practice, then you need to make sure that your intention is explicitly set. By being clear about what is required of you, or indeed what you require of yourself, you can then definitively set out to do whatever is necessary to make it happen!

Use Your Time Wisely

One of the big issues people tend to have with mindfulness is that they are of the opinion they don’t have the time to practice it. The prompts, as suggested above, should however help provide the necessary encouragement for you to do that what you are already doing, albeit in a different kind of way – by being totally aware of that what you are doing at any given moment and without holding any judgment towards it. You can do this in your everyday life, while waiting to pick the kids up from school, or at the shops, or during a walk in the local park. These ‘transitional moments’ are indeed the perfect time to practice everyday mindfulness and require no additional time whatsoever.

It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had ~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

You will find that some practices and activities only need a few minutes, whereas other methods take longer. Both can be challenging yet life-enhancing, and you can begin today, with some of the following suggestions:

Start smiling – Inside and outside that is. Does that make you feel good and what kind of response are you seeing in other people?

Explore your senses – What happens when you run your hand across different textures and surfaces? How does your heart, body and mind react to these differences?

Be a beginner – Want to try something new? Then go ahead and do it as it will help you to learn and grow.

Connect with Mother Earth – Try to imagine that you could breathe through the soles of your feet. This can have a very grounding effect and help to dissolve any negative thinking cycles.

Store positive emotions – Before you retire in the evening, try to reflect back on any positive events you may have experienced during the day and savor them, irrespective of how fleeting they may be. How good is that?

Focus on the out-breath – By paying attention to your out-breath, it should help bring about a sense of letting go and help release any tension your physical body may be holding onto.

On a final note, you may be wondering how the art of being mindful on the go can assist in the spiritual sense? The simple answer: by putting yourself in a calmer and more aware place, it should help to not only take a lot of the stress out of everyday living, but thereafter attract even more harmony towards yourself as a result! How clever is that?