Easy Mindfulness Rituals to Help You Choose Wisely

I’ve written about mindfulness a LOT. It’s the common thread through my panoply of practices, and has become an integral part of my mindful lifestyle.  Mindfulness, as you know, is about paying attention to all of your experiences (inward and outward), in the present moment, with kindness, curiosity, and without judgement.  It means paying attention to your body sensations, your thoughts, feelings and your experiences without believing they are right or wrong, good or bad.  They just ARE. 
 
By paying attention in this way, you can develop a better sense of awareness of what is happening in your own mind (i.e. your perceptions, thought patterns, reactions) as well as a better understanding and connection to the world around you.

In the context of making intentional, wise choices everyday and at every step of your journey, mindfulness is one of your most powerful tools. The clarity and self understanding that it brings can help you to choose wisely in all circumstances. 

Mindfulness takes practice!  It’s like training for the brain and the soul.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness.  Seated meditation, focusing on an object such as our breath, is a classic mindfulness practice.  For example Breath Awareness Meditation: learn more HERE.

And I firmly believe that you can cultivate mindfulness by adding small intentional doses of awareness during the day to help you to make present moment awareness a constant state, to help you to be more connected to your inner self and to your environment (instead of lost in your mind and your busyness).

Punctuate your day with little mindfulness rituals!  Practice taking little present moment pauses. Here’s how.

Think about creating mindfulness triggers for yourself.  Choose a cue that will remind you to take a tiny pause and to tune into your present moment, whatever is happening at the time.  A trigger could be a habitual action, a body sensation, ritual objects to remind you.

Have an anchor to the present moment. Focusing on an anchor will help keep you grounded in awareness of what is happening in this moment.   For example, your anchor could be your breath, your five senses or your body sensations.

Mindful pauses throughout your day can be as short as 1 minute or as long as you feel the need. They could look like this…

1. Whenever you step outside, notice all the sensations.  Your anchor = your senses.  Take a deep breath and tune into your surroundings.  Really notice what you experience.  Let your senses keep you grounded in the present.  What do you see, the colours, the shapes and textures?  What do you hear?  What can you smell on the air?  Touch the ground and the trees and the plants and notice how they feel.  Notice the feeling of the air on your skin and the earth under your feet.  Notice how you feel in the short time it takes to really connect with the world around you. 

2. Whenever you are standing in line, stand with awareness.  Your anchor = your feet.  Every time you find yourself waiting in line, focus on your two feet solidly planted on the ground.  If possible, lift up then spread your toes before planting them back down on the floor.  Notice yourself standing, the strength of your legs, the muscles engaged in your whole body to keep you upright.  Feel yourself rooted, connected to the earth below you, feel the support that it offers you every single moment of the day. 

3. Every time you open your computer or your phone, come back to your breath.   Your anchor = your breath.  Pause for 1 minute, take a few deep breaths.  Just breathe… in and out. And just notice each breath, notice the the length of the inhale and the exhale, notice the pauses, notice the textures and all the sensations.   In fact you can come back to your breath all day, in little micro pauses.  It’s a powerful yet easy way to bring yourself back into the present moment.  

4. When you feel a burst of anxiety or worry, take a mindful pause.  Your anchor = your heartbeat.  Place your hands on your heart, one on top of the other, close your eyes and connect with your heart energy.  Sitting silent and still, you may hear or feel your heart beating, you may just feel the energy.   Simply focus on your heartbeat…it’s your source of courage and wisdom…and listen to the messages that come to you.  Notice you feel now, after connecting with your heart. 

Here are more ideas for you from the HUM LIFE archives…10 Mini Mindfulness Practices for Everyday Life.