Mindful Thinking

Mindfulness can be accessed with the use of varying senses, whether that be through touch, taste, sound, or sight. Taking the time within each day to find moments of mindfulness will alter both your outlook and the way in which you perform actions throughout your day. Mindfulness can be accessed in silence–and at different levels of attention. At its most basic level, sitting alone, finding a quiet space to take in your environment is where one may like to start. For the busiest of people, finding these fleeting moments can be difficult in your daily routine, but the technique can always be accessed without limiting or changing your routine–while taking a shower, eating meals, or getting ready for bed. Mindfulness can be accessed in stationary positions or active ones. Zoning in will provide increased, pinpointed, more immediately accessible thought in which one can find new joys and calms out of life.

HOW?

Settle in and focus on the breath. Take a few, deep breaths, finding the natural rhythm of your breath, all the while allowing voluminous air to fill and empty from your belly. Focusing in on the senses, zone in on all of the various aspects of each sense. If you want to practice mindfulness while eating, start with the way the silverware feels when you set your place at the table. Notice it’s weight and texture. Do this with every object you come into contact with. Do the same with sight, being sure never to judge, but simply notice your surroundings. Further into the exercise, when you go to take a bite, notice the taste of your meal, the individual flavors and where it comes into contact in your mouth. You will find yourself enjoying the simplest things at a higher degree. If you are new to mindfulness and would rather follow prompts, there are several resources such as youtube, meditation blogs, and my personal favorite, Calm, which also provides a mindfulness exercise specifically targeted at commuters. Further information, in more complete detail, can be found online, but taking the time to notice…really notice…will have lasting effects on your being as a whole.