What is mindfulness, and how do you practice it?

In its simplest form, mindfulness is a tool that puts you back in the driver’s seat of your life.

Mindfulness strengthens your ability to make self-valuing choices.  It restores your power to respond to difficult situations, instead of reacting.

With mindfulness, you assess instead of explode. Choose restraint instead of screaming. Seek order instead of chaos.

Not surprisingly, choices like these lead us to be less anxious and less stressed. And thanks to some incredible research by Harvard researcher Matt Killingsworth, we also know that mindfulness makes us happier. Check out his fascinating TedX speech below:

Mindfulness always begins with the conscious choice to stop just long enough to OBSERVE what’s happening around you.

If you’ve ever watched a bird in a forest, you know what it’s like to be an observer. You’re quiet, still, curious and alert.

Mindfulness works the same way.

Instead of reacting to an event and rushing to judgment, you’re making the conscious choice to relax and BE in the moment so you can observe whatever is happening around you. And in this silent observation, you begin to understand that mindfulness transforms your experience, not because it alters your reality, but because it alters your relationship to reality.

Practicing mindfulness is simple.

And if it’s become complicated, then what you’re practicing is something else.

True mindfulness is an effortless state, because its primary focus is slowing down so you can pay attention to your breath, relax your body and quiet your mind – the basic Practice of the 1Body Method™.

Using this mindfulness Practice will help you loosen your grip on the need to control the people and events around you. With your mind focused on the present moment, you’re less likely to regret the past or worry about the future.

Mindfulness is about embracing who you are.

The beauty of mindfulness is that it fuels acceptance for who you are. Click To Tweet
The beauty of mindfulness is that it fuels acceptance for who you are. This acceptance will allow you to discover a dependable path of growth and transformation. Mindfulness doesn’t ask you to become something you’re not. It illuminates your authentic self, showing you the path to peace.

Here’s how you meet your authentic self with mindfulness:

Whether you’re implementing a formal practice (like yoga, Qigong, etc.) or an informal practice (presence with everyday activities), bringing yourself to a state of true mindfulness begins with one thing:

Awareness.

To bring yourself to the present moment, slow down and focus on your breathing. Pay close attention as you inhale. Notice the way your body feels, and make a conscious effort to relax any areas of tension you discover. Listen to the sounds around you.  Relax into the rhythm of your breath moving in and out of your lungs.

When you cultivate awareness this way, you put the most powerful aspect of mindfulness into effect:

The Pause.

This is the judgment-free zone, the space where you are simply observing your reality—rather than reacting to it. You’re allowing your emotions to process so your mind can move to a place of quiet while it formulates a response. The pause is where you find the freedom to discover new patterns of thought, and consider adopting new habits and behaviors.

How to Practice Mindfulness Right Now

Today, whether you’re driving to work, playing with your grandchildren, washing the dishes, or brushing your teeth, choose three times throughout the day to practice mindfulness: relax your body, focus on your breath, quiet your mind and put your full attention on the present moment. Commit to doing this same practice for the next 7 days. Keep a brief record of your experience. Download your free journal page HERE.