I incorporate mindfulness into all my NW Method sessions to help you work on having a healthy mindset. It’s easier to do when you’re working out because you have to use your body and mind to perform consecutive movements. It gets harder IRL because we get bombarded with so many distractions, and our minds have lost a sense of stillness and focus.
Life is challenging and can bring a lot of stress along with it. We are expected to yield results from our health, career, business, relationships, home, and financial life. To maintain an ideal, sustainable lifestyle, we must strive to find balance. Success looks different to all of us, but we are all dealing with stress that comes with life. It’s how we handle it that matters. A great way to manage stress and achieve a healthy mindset is through mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. When you are in a flow of mindfulness, your life finds a new balance. This heightened state of awareness and consciousness brings presence into all our lives. Here are some examples of things that take us away from mindfulness:
Not being in the present moment.
Doing one thing with our bodies, but thinking about something else.
Not paying attention to our breath or seeing what is in front of us.
Anxiety about the future or what will happen
Eating foods that are not nutritious.
These are just a few examples, but we must practice mindfulness to achieve our optimal health.
HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO INCLUDE MINDFULNESS IN YOUR LIFE:
1. Body Scan
I love giving this mindfulness tip to my students because it’s easy and quickly brings people to the present moment. Whenever you are doing an action: brushing your teeth, taking a phone call, listening in on a Zoom, do a body scan. Start at the tips of your toes and breathe deeply as you trace your body parts from the feet to the top of your head with your mind. Visualize each body part as you slowly move up your body and keep a mental picture in your mind. As you observe the mental picture, continue to feel the body part you are holding in your mind’s eye. Take deep breaths as you check in with each area of the body. This practice improves mental focus and awareness.
2. “10 Deep Breaths”
Where ever you are, close your eyes and inhale. As you inhale, expand your waistline and bring the air deep into your abdominals. Keep breathing in until you can’t take in any more air. Hold for a couple of seconds, and then exhale the air out through the mouth. Keep focused on your abdominals’ inhale and exhale as you position your body gently to adjust to your breath. Your body should be relaxed, soft, and fluid.
3. Dance
Dance is an excellent remedy to move stagnant energy. If you feel stuck, or out of the moment, turn on your favorite song. Get up and move around. Feel your body, listen to the lyrics; let your body run free. Dance brings presence and mindfulness to the movement. It allows you to express what’s inside you that can help you move energy. Sometimes when we are thinking or feeling too much, that energy lies dormant in our body and can stay there as “stuck energy.” What dancing does, is enables that energy to unlock and transform from the inside out.
4. Chew Your Food
Mindfulness during eating is easy. While you sit down to eat, bring awareness to your posture and how you are sitting at the table. Take in the entire energy of everyone sitting with you and, of course, yourself. Take note of your breath and how you are breathing. For each bite of food, drop the utensils on the plate, and chew your food thoroughly. As soon as you swallow the bite-full, take a deep breath and exhale. Grab your utensils and take your next bite. Dropping the utensils allows us to pause between our bite-fulls and adequately break down and digest our food.
5. “Free Write”
Writing in the morning allows you to free your mind of thoughts and make room to welcome new ones. Hopefully, after we sleep, we have had 8 hours of rest and sweet dreams that have activated our subconscious. In the morning, it’s great to empty our thoughts by journaling. Journaling keeps us present and mindful as we take to paper the very thoughts and emotions that fill our soul. It’s important to remember that there is no right way to write. It is a form of artistic expression and can bring you into the present moment fairly quickly. Practice free writing in the morning or at any time when you want to add more mindfulness to your day.
The trick is to practice these habits as frequently as possible until a healthy mindset becomes second nature. You can partake in any activity in your day with a genuinely mindful attitude and keep that practice with you in your life. It’s essential to take time for yourself and put yourself first! And remember, the trick is to aim for balance, not perfection.