Crash Course In Mindfulness Meditation

These days as I watch people run about left and right I wonder how many of them realize if they spent five minutes a day meditating how much more relaxed they can be. Some will immediately blast back with excuses. It’s too hard, they don’t know how, no time, no room, blah blah blah- again with excuses! We let ourselves get overwhelmed by things around us, stressing ourselves out the more things pile up. Worrying about tomorrow’s, upset about the past, it all adds up it can be suffocating at times. We stress ourselves out with the direction of our thoughts , when all we really need to do is Breathe. 

There doesn’t need to be a rush to the day. The other day I saw a person walking their dog, trying to hurry the dog up as they were trying to sniff a flower along the sidewalk, and I thought why are they rushing so much? Why not enjoy the same flower the dog was trying to enjoy? There was a break in the storms we’ve been having, the wind died down, the sun had tried to come out. There were birds chirping and colorful leaves still on the ground to look at . The person was rushing for whatever reason , whether they had to be somewhere or where just annoyed for the dog to stop walking- they were not living in the present moment. They did not enjoy the flower, or the break in the storm, or anything around them for that matter. Their mind was set on one thing- hurry up to go do something or get somewhere. 

If they were living in the present moment they would have enjoyed what was around them, they would have taken notice that even their dog was simply enjoying the present moment ~ being Mindfulness 
 Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the present moment, with curiosity and without judgment.  There’s no thoughts or worry about the furture, regrets about the past.  You are the watcher, observing what is surrounding you and fully aware to what is happening in the Now.  By being mindful we are bringing more attention to our actions and being fully present. It takes some practice, more so for some than others but once you get the concept down you begin to live fully present all the time. 

Mindfulness Meditating can be done anywhere you want , it’s a simple concept and you only need about five to ten minutes. Mindfulness meditation is almost like a jump start to your brain, or a revamp, recharge if you will. A busy day can seem to get away from you with so much going on it can get very overwhelming which is where practicing mindfulness mediation is important. Mediation is a way to calm and slow down, not just our minds but our bodies. Stress doesn’t just weight on our thoughts it’s toxic to our bodies. 

How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Grab a timer and set it for 5 minutes.

Sit with your spine straight and relax. 

Now focus on your breath, how you draw in air and let air out. 

If your mind is going a mile a minute, draw focus back to your breathing, drawing in air slowly , and letting it out.

Try and feel the air itself filling your lungs and then leaving. Each time your mind goes to another thought, draw it back to your breath. Simply be aware of yourself breathing.  Do this until the timer runs out. 

You should feel relaxed , your mind should be calm and even clear.

The more you practice the better you will get, you can do 5 minutes or 10 minutes . No matter where you are you can create your own space and always draw yourself back to being aware of your breath. You can do it in the middle of a stressful situation, draw all your focus on your breath for a couple minutes. You will be able to handle the situation better when you bring yourself to the present moment instead of letting fear, worry or stress take over your thoughts. 

Worrying does not take any of tomorrow’s troubles away ~ It takes away today’s Peace. 

Just Breathe.