Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation (Staying in the Moment) Tips/Links

Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation(Staying in the Moment)

Links:
https://youtu.be/FLlVV3dKl9w
www.getsomeheadspace.com
www.mindfulness.org
www.mindfulnet.org

Books:

365 Tao: Daily Meditations
byMing-Dao Deng

Fyi: There are many books/websites about the Tao- just Google them or go on Amazon

The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
by Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness and the 12 Steps: Living Recovery in the Present Moment
by The Jacobs-Stewart

This book is geared towards those in recovery, although I feel it is well written it could benefit anyone.

What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness means being present to the here and now in a non-judgmental way. This means that one does not analyze or try to change the situation, rather they accept it for what it is in that moment. Many times we get stressed trying to change or negatively evaluating a situation. Mindfulness exercises help you focus your attention, be fully present, and ultimately help you deal with your stress and anxiety. Many of the exercises can be learned easily through audio recordings or even finding videos on YouTube. Examples of exercises that you can engage in to practice mindfulness and relieve stress symptoms include body scanning, meditating, and being mindful in everyday tasks.

Learn more about how mindfulness is effective in dealing with stress and anxiety by watching the following video:https://youtu.be/puzAe4G6uDw

Body Scanning
https://youtu.be/6W31vHDjyng

Body scanning is similar to progressive muscle relaxation in that it helps you pay attention to sensations in different parts of your body. All you need is to find a quiet place where you can lay down or sit comfortably without any distractions.
https://youtu.be/YW-TDOgstSE

Sitting Meditations
https://youtu.be/YW-TDOgstSE
The goal of sitting meditations is to focus on breathing, learn how to non-judgmentally notice any thoughts that may come across your mind, and gently bring your focus back to your breathing. Do not worry if you find your mind wandering. This exercise takes practice. You can practice these for 5, 20, or 40 minutes. It is something you can practice easily at your work desk. Here is a video clip of a meditation script:

Mindful Tasks
Doing tasks mindfully refers to focusing on becoming aware of the physical sensations associated with a task, such as walking or eating.

Walking Meditation:
Below is a script you can record and then listen to as you take a walk. Be sure to find a place where you feel comfortable and that is reasonably free of distractions. It can be inside or outside.

?Stand at one end of your walk, with your feet parallel to each other, about 4 to 6 inches apart, and your knees ?unlocked,? so that they can gently flex. Allow your arms to hang loosely by your sides, or hold your hands loosely together in front of your body. Direct your gaze, softly, straight ahead.

Bring the focus of your awareness to the bottoms of your feet, getting a direct sense of the physical sensations of the contact of the feet with the ground and the weight of your body transmitted through your legs and feet to the ground. You may find it helpful to flex your knees slightly a few times to get a clearer sense of the sensations in the feet and legs.

When you are ready, transfer the weight of the body into the right leg, noticing the changing pattern of physical sensations in the legs and feet as the left leg ?empties? and the right leg takes over the support of the rest of the body. With the left leg ?empty,? allow the left heel to rise slowly from the floor, noticing the sensations in the calf muscles as you do so, and continue, allowing the whole of the left foot to lift gently until only the toes are in contact with the floor. Aware of the physical sensations in the feet and legs, slowly lift the left foot, carefully move it forward, feeling the foot and leg as they move through the air, and place the heel on the floor. Allow the rest of the bottom of the left foot to make contact with the floor as you transfer the weight of the body into the left leg and foot, aware of the increasing physical sensations in the left leg and foot, and of the ?emptying? of the right leg and the right heel leaving the floor.

With the weight fully transferred to the left leg, allow the rest of the right foot to lift, and move it slowly forward, aware of the changing patterns of physical sensations in the foot and leg as you do so. Focusing your attention on the right heel as it makes contact with the ground, transfer the weight of the body into the right foot as it is placed gently on the ground, aware of the shifting pattern of physical sensations in the two legs and feet.

In this way, slowly move from one end of your walk to the other, aware particularly of the sensations in the bottoms of the feet and heels as they make contact with the floor, and of the sensations in the muscles of the legs as they swing forward.

At the end of your walk, turn slowly around, aware of and appreciating the complex pattern of movements through which the body changes direction, and continue walking.

Walk up and down in this way, being aware, as best you can, of physical sensations in the feet and legs, and of the contact of the feet with the floor. Keep your gaze directed softly ahead.

When you notice that the mind has wandered away from awareness of the sensations of walking, gently escort the focus of attention back to the sensations in the feet and legs, using the sensations as the feet contact the floor, in particular, as an ?anchor? to reconnect with the present moment, just as you used the breath in the sitting meditation.

Continue to walk for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer if you wish.

To begin with, walk at a pace that is slower than usual, to give yourself a better chance to be fully aware of the sensations of walking. Once you feel comfortable walking slowly with awareness, you can experiment as well with walking at faster speeds, up to and beyond normal walking speed. If you are feeling particularly agitated, it may be helpful to begin walking fast, with awareness, and to slow down naturally as you settle.

As often as you can, bring the same kind of awareness that you cultivate in walking meditation to your normal, everyday, experiences of walking.?

Remember: The aim of all of the exercises is to experience the sensations in your body to their fullest without judging them, trying to change them, or analyzing where they came from or what they mean.

Mindfulness Exercise
Instructions: Mindfulness is a practice. It is like learning to dribble a basketball or knit. The first few times it is challenging, but with practice it gets easier. Practice incorporating mindfulness into your day-to-day life using some of these strategies:

Practice mindful eating: Pay attention to all the sensations that are associated with eating, such as smell, sight, touch, taste, and sound. Be mindful with every bite you take. You can even be mindful of the sensations associated with swallowing your food.

Practice mindfulness while driving: Be mindful of the sights around you, the radio playing, the noise your car makes as you accelerate or decelerate, the way the air conditioner or heater feels against your skin, or any other sensation associated with driving.

Mindfully wash the dishes: Be mindful of what each dish feels like in your hands, the temperature of the water against your skin, or the smell of the soap.

You can also practice mindfulness when taking a shower, exercising, cooking, listening to music, drinking a cup of coffee, or waiting in line at the store. Mindfulness helps get you out of your thoughts by paying attention to what is happening in and around you. This loosens up unhelpful thinking so you don?t get stuck thinking about the same things over and over again.

Personally I find myself practicing mindfulness and awareness of the present moment most when I'm hiking or in nature.Sometimes talking a walk in the woods and just listening to the sounds of nature, animal noises, trees, and the breeze. It can be very relaxing.

Practicing Yoga and meditation are also two practices that help me stay in the moment. Looking for more information on these practices...There is endless info online. Also,tThere are many new Yoga Studios popping up, so just Google"your town, state and yoga." Sometimes you can go for a free session or a $10 pop in session just to try it. Same with meditation centers, they are becoming more common. Just do some searching online and see what you find.

The Importance ofMindfulness...

Everyone in the world has a bad day, one with stress, sometimes anger, or just pure exhaustion. The people who succeed and move forward in this world are able to CENTER THEMSELVES through many of these practices we are discussing. Learning how to center yourself and practice mindfulness and meditationis very important as it helps with people suffering from: Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Anger, Depression, Relationship Issues, Problems at Work/School, and just about problem you can think of.

It takes practice, but once you are able to stay in the moment and in the now, you will find yourself feeling more free than every before!

Please feel free to respond with your own questions, comments, and ideas on this topic. Add on ways you practice mindfulness. Thanks!!