Simple but Powerful Everyday Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness is one of the 6 pillars of Resiliency for my 7 Week Resiliency Workshop. I chose this because practicing mindfulness everyday helped me very much when I was fighting with my son’s cancer, especially dealing with the negatives feelings such as regret, anger, anxiety, and worry. Over the years, it became my habit to do at least 10 minutes of meditation everyday, but it can be anything from simply taking one deep breath to listening to a guided meditation program on an app.
So, what’s mindfulness? According to Wikipedia,
Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment, which one develops through the practice of meditation and through other training.
When I first experienced meditation, which was back in 1997 when I was a student at San Diego State University and took a stress management session at a counseling center, I was told to focus on my breaths. Breathing in and breathing out. Back then it was my first time and I remember I felt weird.
But now, it totally makes sense to me. Breath is the ultimate proof that you’re here, and you’re alive now. I still vividly remember, the very last few minutes we spent with our son when he was in coma. He was breathing so hard, because the amount of oxygen he had in his body was low. His heart and lung were working so fast and hard to breath. But the at the very end of his life, the breath stopped. No more breath. No more air.
Of course, that’s what dying means.
But, when I was actually there to watch and experience the moment when someone’s soul crosses the line between life and death, I felt the importance and meaning of breaths. Since then, taking deep breaths became something more important, meaningful, and deep. I do feel that feeling your breaths does brings your consciousness to the present moment where you’re just being, living. No thoughts when you’re just focusing on your breaths going in and out. No regrets about the past, no worries about the future.
If you’re interested in practicing mindfulness everyday, I can recommend you these three things.
Taking deep breaths as many times as you can remember in one day: Just once is enough too. But if you can do more. that’s great. Being able to remember and remind yourself itself already means you’re in the preent.
Body scan: Any body scan program will do, but here’s one by UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center for example. It takes only three minutes.
Guided Meditation Programs: Again, anything is okay, but my favorites are
Vishen Lakhiani’s 6 Phase Meditation and Oprah and Deepak’s 21day Meditation Experience. The 6 Phase Meditation has more guidance, so it might be easier for a beginner than the 21-day one.
If you’d like to learn what it means to be in the present moment and how powerful it can be,I recommend you to read “The Power of Now” by Eckhard Tolle.