Het beoefenen van Mindful Living

“Mindfulness is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that.” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn Most of us find ourselves stuck in a routine where we wake up and sleep with the same thought at the back of our mind – work. The chaos of everyday routine has drifted us away from the very essence of life and the ability to connect with our inner selves. This monotony of the monotonous routine can be eradicated by practicing mindfulness. It is true that living a mindful life is not easy because of the conditioned mind and the thoughts, feelings and prejudice that follow with it. But anything is as tough as one pictures it and mindfulness just requires practice and alteration in our habits. What is mindfulness? It is an ancient practice found in a different Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism, Taoism and Yoga. Mindfulness involves consciously bringing awareness to your here-and-now experience with openness, interest, and receptiveness. Being Mindful is about waking up, connecting with ourselves, and appreciating the fullness of each moment of life. It means cherishing the present for your own benefits and peace. Here are some of the ways you can work on being mindful…. 1) Live in the Present Most of us spend a lot of time either mulling over the past or worrying about the future. Mindfulness involves stilling that mental noise and focusing on the here and now. Stop judging, over-analyzing, over-thinking and just be. Focus your attention on what’s happening in the present, without judging or trying to change anything. A great way to do that is to sit down and focus on your breathing with a few deep breaths. “Stop thinking of what you intend to do. Stop thinking of what you have just done. Then, stop thinking that you have stopped thinking of those things. Then you will find the Now, the time that stretches eternal, and is really the only time there is.” – Robin Hobb 2) Be mindful in daily activities Bring that awareness to everyday activities like watering the garden, washing dishes, daily walk, cutting vegetables or even looking at the sky or watching the clouds. 3) Savour your food Be mindful with what you eat and when you eat. Savour each bite, instead of rushing through meals. This way you will eat less and helps in digestion as well. 4) Prioritise Johann Goethe said that things which matter the most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. Prioritising is an act of a mindful person. Don’t jumble up your routine like a puzzle. 5) Seek help There is no harm in seeking help. If you are burdened with work, most likely, you end up compromising on the quality of output. Instead, if you have someone around who can help you in easing your work load then go ahead and take their help. 6) Stop, breathe and feel We pile up anxiety, tension and pressure in our head day after day. Relax. Spend some time each day doing nothing. Sit down and ask yourself, “How are you doing?” Simple act of breathing in and out restores your brain with that much needed energy. Enjoy the silence, it will do you good. According to a research conducted by UCLA, one who practices mindfulness by using mindfulness-based techniques has better ability to learn, memorise and evolve continuously. Practicing everyday mindfulness can actually change the structure of our brains, beefing up the areas that control emotions and stress responses, keeping the brain healthy and active. Be mindful and be happy! Image Source Mindfulness