Starting A Mindfulness Practice - Part II

10 Activities To Get You Started - Part II

So were you able to incorporate or try any of the first five activities?
Wonderful!

Now, lets continue with the remaining five.

6 - Eating

As you may have guessed now we’ll add eating to our practice. When you eat, eat at a slow, deliberate pace, mindfully appreciating each bite. 

We’ll continue with the green pepper from before.

How does a cooked pepper taste different from a raw pepper? Are there similarities or differences?

What about the aroma? How does it feel as you slowly chew? 

Are there areas that are still crisp and others softer?

As you swallow does it leave an aftertaste?

And as you eat this pepper know that it is giving you life sustaining nutrition, feeding your
body with all of the essential vitamins you need to live and help others.
This cycle is normal and is repeated every day.
I told you there’s a lot to a green pepper.

7 - Journaling

Journaling is a wonderful way to review and recount our day. Where you can write about a particular incident or your day as a whole. Did you work on a specific goal?

How were you feeling? Sad? Excited? Anxious? Happy? Did a particular thought or memory enter your head?

Journaling also provides you a record so that at the end of the year when you self-reflect you can see where you've improved and where you may need additional growth.

 
You don't need to write in it every day. Three or four times a week is enough if you like.

8 - Move Slowly

As you’ve probably experienced many times in your life already, it can be fast paced. This fast pace results in the disconnection from ourselves, to others, our surroundings, and life in general.

There oftentimes seems to be such a rush to get to the next destination or complete the next project.

That’s not to say that some destinations are not important, you certainly want to get to the hospital quickly if you’re having a medical emergency. 

But rushing to get to the store, not so much. Your items will still be there.

When we rush we tend to miss what is important and tend to make mistakes.

Remember, each moment is very precious as it will never happen again.


And that is a beautiful realization.

9 - Pause

Pause between thoughts and actions. Much like there is a pause between each inhale and exhale, both actions that require a transition between two ‘doings’.

Consider a time where you might have said something you should not have. Perhaps it was an argument with a friend or spouse. Perhaps you got a little too excited and ‘Let the Cat Out of the Bag’ too early for a surprise.

Learning to develop the sacred pause will take time but you can begin to work on this by relaying one response per breath.

For example: John doesn't know his office mates are giving him a surprise birthday party during their afternoon break and that you volunteered to get his cake during your lunch.

John asks you to go to lunch with him but you quickly respond that you need to go to the bakery to get a cake. John knows his birthday is coming up and puts two and two together.

Instead of the quick, knee jerk response, breathe in, pause, exhale (this gives you the sacred pause) and you could reply ‘thank you but I have other plans for lunch today’.

Being mindful in our conversations is a very effective way to communicate as well as considerate of others feelings.

10 - Meditation

Of course meditation would make the list.

I once heard someone say that meditation isn't for everyone. I disagree with that conclusion because it is.

A calm mind is just as necessary as eating, drinking, breathing, sleeping, and loving. Without a calm mind we are subject to what’s called ‘monkey mind’ all of the unnecessary chatter and distractions that detract us from living a connected life.

Some are hesitant to start meditation out of fear they don't know how to meditate. My friends, if you are breathing you already know how to. The breath is the basis of meditation. 

Are there different breathing techniques, yes, and I cover some of them in our video on our YouTube channel.

As mentioned earlier Western science is now beginning to understand what Eastern knowledge has been promoting for 2000 years at this point.

Mental clarity, positive social and emotional maturity, stronger and more meaningful relationships with yourself and others, caring and empathy towards yourself and others, health benefits too. 

All of these are manifested through a meditation practice of 20-30 minutes a day.

So there you have it my friends, 10 ways to begin your mindfulness practice. Remember, mindfulness is a positive lifestyle choice that you’ll find rewarding as you go along. 

You’ll find out that you might forget to be mindful during one of these activities and that’s OK. It is fine to catch yourself, and say, I forgot this time, but next time I won't. Self-compassion is very important.

Remember this is new to you, you’re going against many years of societal conventions. It took me several weeks for the simple tasks to stick but now they come second nature. I hear that little voice inside me saying ‘slow down, observe’.


Wishing you peace and ease,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.