The Power of Mindfulness

Let’s try out some simple ways to incorporate mindfulness into your life that don’t involve sitting cross legged in a quiet room for upwards of 30 minutes. Let’s face it, not everyone has time for long meditations. So in order to develop a mindfulness practice that can be maintained we need to find a way to incorporate our meditation into daily life. Lots of people use apps. You could try the free ones: smiling mind or headspace or purchase apps such as Buddhify which matches your mindfulness practise to different activities such as walking or eating or waiting in a queue. For a more comprehensive approach you may want to take a free trial of the Calm app which won health app of the year recently and has so many different options that you can try. From sleep stories to nature sounds to mindful meditations when you're experiencing strong emotions or distressing thoughts. The Calm app is like having your own mindful meditation teacher in your pocket. I personally use the Calm app to fall asleep at night just to clear my mind from the thoughts of the day and also to relax my muscles to promote more restful sleep. Some people prefer to do their meditation practise when they first wake in the morning particularly if they're feeling anxious or stressed about what lies ahead of them that day. It doesn't really matter when you practise mindfulness the main thing is finding a time of the day that makes sense to you where you have a few minutes and you're not likely to be distracted or interrupted and to just keep building on that practise. Try it out and see if it makes a difference. Being mindful could be as simple as just going for a walk around your neighbourhood and noticing the natural beauty around you. Notice the sky, the clouds, the sunset, the horizon. Notice the smells of the spring flowers, the gardens, the soil. Connecting with nature through what can you hear  - the birds, wind through the trees. Notice what you can feel - the warmth of the sun, your feet touching the ground, the cool breeze on your skin. Be in the present moment and notice the world around you. Being mindful can be as simple as that – just slow down and notice.