Simple Ways to Practice Mindfulness

Article by Darshan.S

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” – Bil Keane

The magic of life happens in the now, in the present. We live in a world of duality and our mind constantly races ahead of us. We are always envisioning our possible future or reminiscing over our past and will lose out on many beautiful moments that life offers us. The ability to be present, aware and mindful also offers opportunities which reflects parts of us that need healing. To work and heal the shadow aspects of ourselves we need to be mindful of what we are doing and why we’re doing it, instead of putting our lives on autopilot.

Here are some simple ways to start the practice of mindfulness right away:

1. Observe
Take a few minutes every day to stop and notice your surroundings. Whether you’re at work, at the supermarket or you’re travelling, just take a minute to stop and observe whatever surrounds you. Observe all the shapes and colors, listen to all the sounds, smell all the fragrances, be aware of the temperature etc. Free of judgement just OBSERVE.

2. Transmute thoughts
Here’s a simple exercise that you can do to stop the mental chatter, gain back control over your thoughts and be more present. Empty your mind by visualizing your thoughts as objects and letting them go. Breathing in a calm and relaxed manner observe each object (thought) for a few seconds and once you observe it turn It into an object, put the object (thought) in a Reiki bubble, a balloon, a cloud. Anything that works for you and just let it float away.

3. Breathe
As we all know breathing is the simplest and easiest way to become more mindful and aware. So simply sit in a quiet room for 10 minutes and observe your breath. You can choose any breathing patterns that you like, you can also practice any form of pranayama or yoga as a substitute.

4. Eat mindful
Always be mindful of what you are eating. Especially during the first three bites, really focus on the smell, texture, and taste. Savor the moment. Stop eating your meals in front of the television or while you’re using your mobile phone. Eating mindfully will help you be more appreciative of what you eat and it also prevents overeating.

5. Waking up mindfully
Once you wake up in the morning, before you do anything else observe your breath for a few minutes while you are still lying in the bed. Ground and center yourself, and shift to a state of gratitude. Doing so will help you take charge of your day and life and will set the law of attraction in motion to bring throughout your day more things to be grateful and appreciative of and help you be more aware and mindful.

6. Showering
Another simple and great routine that you can try. During your daily showers open yourself up to your senses. Notice the temperature of the water, the smell of the soap, the feel of the shampoo et cetera. You can also visualize that the water is made up of light and use it to cleanse your auric field.

7. Slowing down movements
Whatever you are doing through your day, be it walking or doing any physical movement or task, slow down and observe your movement. It takes a lot of conscious intervention to slow down our bodies. So make it a thing to slow down whatever you are doing through your day. It also helps ease anxiety.

It is easy to live life mindfully. All it requires is discipline. Do one thing at a time, being aware of what you do and do things more consciously.

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Darshan is a Reiki healer & teacher, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and a Professional Dowser. He owns a Metaphysical Store called “Crystal Alchemy” through which he helps spread awareness about Crystals and other Healing Modalities. You can reach Darshan at www.facebook.com/Crystal.Alchemy.Store, www.facebook.com/TheHealingOcean.