Have you ever noticed how often you encounter the word mindfulness? From the videos we watch to the books we read, there are even mindfulness workshops! But what exactly is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is about being fully present and connecting deeply to your thoughts and sensations. It is a transformative practice that can provide you with a more balanced and fulfilling life.
So, take one more sip of your herbal tea, and let’s dive right into the practice of mindfulness together!💃🏼
Understanding Mindfulness: The Core Principles
Mindfulness starts with directing all your cognitive effort into one action. It is crucial to direct your attention to the present moment without judging yourself.
Imagine you need to immerse yourself in that moment. How would you do that? You would first need to get rid of all the distractors which might be either physical or abstract. That’s right, you are dealing with your mind but you should also need to get rid of abstract distractors as well. 😉 Your anxiety can distract you just as much as a noise from the traffic can. Therefore, it is important to slip yourself off from those distractions.
You should also avoid making certain judgments that might interfere with living your moment. Picture yourself jogging in the forest. Such a perfect occasion for mindfulness! Now you need to focus on your breath, forget the chores or thoughts about work. Just you breathing in and out, feeling the wind on your face… Isn’t it relaxing from now?
Embarking on the Mindfulness Journey: Getting Started
It might not be easy to engage in mindfulness at first, but it is all about not pushing ourselves, right? You can give yourself a little start by starting with realizing something that you do so often but are not even aware of: breathing! Start with short but mindful breathing exercises! I promise that feeling your breath coming into your lungs will make you feel like you are breathing for the first time in your life. As air comes into your nose and makes its way through your body, that air will become a relaxation breeze for you.
You can also try to incorporate mindfulness into your routine activities. A mindful eating experience might be a perfect start. Without rushing, or thinking about anything else, by savoring every bite, you will realize how mindfulness can make you enjoy from your everyday sandwich!
Mindful Living in Daily Activities: Integration into Routine
Once you start experiencing mindful activities, you will integrate them into your daily routine unconsciously! It is possible to immerse yourself in that moment regardless of what task you are doing. Take such a perspective to mindfulness that you need to decorate your daily activities with some awareness and realization. You do not need to increase your workload or allocate additional time, it is all about adding a little bit of calmness, awareness, and fulfillment to what you are engaging in.
Let’s brainstorm together. You almost walk every day, even if it is just going to the bathroom in your house, right? By paying attention to each step or, allowing yourself to feel the floor you can have a mindful practice. It can also be incorporated into your household chores as well! I know it sounds unreal to have a mindful experience with cleaning or washing the dishes but, give it a chance! Next time you start cleaning, try to focus on the sensory experience of wiping the floor. A little warning, be ready to be surprised by the results! 🥳
Mindfulness Meditation: Nurturing the Inner Self
Core of the mindfulness is being immersed in the present. The thing is holding your attention to what you are doing instead of directing it to ruminations, anxiety, or other tasks that would consume your cognitive fuel. When you think of these, what comes to your mind similar to mindfulness? That’s right: Meditation!
Mindfulness meditation can contribute to your well-being by reducing your level of stress and anxiety. Since it is an activity that requires avoiding distractions, getting away from physical disturbances would be a good beginning. You can prepare your body by finding a comfortable position that would not bother and interrupt you. Then, try to focus on your breath. Feel how your body changes while you are inhaling and exhaling. Start by realizing physical signs like the expansion of your chest. If something either physical or psychological interferes during your meditation, gently redirect attention to your breath. It is normal to be interrupted in your first times, do not give up on meditation. You are trying to teach your mind something new. Don’t forget that learning takes time! 🙌🏻
Mindful Breathing: A Gateway to Inner Calm
Let’s examine mindful breathing together! 🧐 If it captured your attention, I have always started with realizing your breath. The reason why I highlighted breathing is that it is the first step of mindfulness. Breathing is an activity that you have been engaging in constantly in your life. Once you start mindful breathing, you will be aware of how your state changes. You will be able to understand whether you are anxious or, stressed by realizing your breath pace. If you detect a change, you will be able to control it as well.
Let’s say that you have realized an increase in your breath rate. The air you inhale does not move properly to your lungs. You can regulate your breath just with a simple exercise! Have you ever heard of the 4-7-8 technique? It sounds like a calculation but, believe me, it is way too far from math! An excellent way to calm your nervous system! It is inhaling from your nose for a count of 4 seconds, holding for 7 seconds, and then exhaling it through your mouth for 8 seconds. Before moving on, let’s try it together now! Inhale for 4, hold for 7, and exhale for 8…
Such an impact within seconds, isn’t it? 🌬️
Mindful Relationships: Nurturing Connection
So far, we have gone through breathing and our daily routines. When I say that you can incorporate mindfulness in your daily activities, we need to consider relationships as well since mostly, our days are not over without having any conversation right? Then, let’s talk about mindfulness in relationships. 👥
Just as redirecting your attention to what you are doing when you engage in mindfulness individually, you can redirect your attention to what you are doing with the other party to engage in a mindfulness relationship. Assume that you are having a conversation with your friend. What do you do in a conversation? You listen, you respond accordingly, if you do not understand you ask for further explanations. To make your relationship mindful, you can engage in active listening during your conversations. During active listening, you fully focus on the speaker without thinking about a response or anything else. You basically direct your attention to the other party and immerse yourself in what you are listening to. Think of it like you are engaging in mindfulness but this time, on a social level. Way easier than you think, promise! 😉
Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence: Enhancing Self-Awareness
It is such a big force that once you learn how to apply it, you will have total control over your body! Mindfulness is like a key to your inner self. 🔑Since it is about being in the present with your whole existence, you will be more open to recognizing everything that occurs in your body as well as your cognition!
We have talked about how thoughts might disrupt your attention. Emotions can interfere with your mindful experiences too. As you can guess, there is a strong connection between mindfulness and emotional intelligence since both take their roots from self-awareness. If you can recognize yourself, you can recognize and label your emotions as well. I will show it with a simple example.
Let’s say that you have participated in a business dinner and one of your colleagues has made a joke about one of your projects which you have spent so much time on. What do you imagine to feel as you read? It might be an increased heart rate, faster breathing, and a surge of disappointment. Instead of reacting with an urge to defend, stop and take a moment to understand and recognize your emotions. Is it sadness, anger, or something different? Without judging try to label your emotions. “I am feeling angry and it is normal to feel like this because they made fun of a project that I have spent so much time and effort on.” Rather than suppress, accept what you feel and understand how this is such a natural reaction. Once you recognize your emotions, you will be handling those situations with a wider perspective and better understanding.
Remember, you feel everything for a reason. When you have a headache, you do not ignore it and come up with solutions, right? Then, I want to ask you: Why suppress your emotions instead of becoming aware of them? 🍀
Mindful Work: Balancing Professional Life
We have regulated our breaths, and we have incorporated mindfulness into our daily routines, household chores, and even our relationships. So, what is next?
One of the most exhausting parts of the day: is work. Sometimes you might be drowned with long work hours, or colleagues who are not collaborative or easy to work with. Feeling overwhelmed is more than natural in this type of work environment. The moment you feel like that, give yourself a short mindful break to step away from work a little bit. You can also practice mindfulness to increase your efficiency and motivation as well.✨
Also, do not wait to feel overwhelmed! Practice mindful awareness to clear your mind and improve concentration during meetings. You have a magic wand in your hand which you can use to heal yourself at any time. Use it freely!🔮
Elevate Your Mindfulness Journey with Cybele
Let Cybele be your companion in your beautiful mindfulness journey!⭐ With personalized meditations, it promise you a better understanding of your mind and body. In addition to this unique meditation guidance, Cybele will provide you with specialized well-being advice to align mindfulness practices with the natural rhythms of your menstrual cycle, which you will be enjoying every second of your journey. You are just one app away from reaching overall well-being by connecting deeply with your soul and body. So, do not deprive yourself of the princess treatment any longer, and start walking with Cybele! We promise you such a wonderful adventure! 🛣️
Conclusion
Cultivating mindfulness lies at the center of transformative potential to achieve a more balanced and enriched life by giving you a chance to experience every moment with greater awareness. Through mindfulness, you can learn to put your past and future aside and focus on what the present holds for you. Being able to take a moment to observe your thoughts and feel your emotions, you will have a more meaningful and fulfilled life. This is such an opportunity that you can seize it anytime, anywhere! Do not wait anymore and start with mindfulness breathing right now! Then, please enjoy your moment by being amazed by the power of mindfulness🥰
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