Mind Matters: Easy ways to practice mindfulness

Gautam Buddha once said, “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise, you will miss most of your life.”

We live in a world of screens where multitasking is indispensable. Every day, we are bombarded with numerous tasks from responding to emails, attending meetings, preparing meals to take care of our surroundings.

Sometimes, all these tasks take over our mind and it becomes difficult to stay focused or to be fully present in the moment. Ultimately it causes distraction which can result in distress, lack of punctuality, unclear thoughts and more pending work. This is where mindfulness comes into play.

Practising mindfulness is one of the ancient techniques to acquire presence of mind and improve awareness. Awareness of the mind can provide you with a special moment of enjoying life to its fullest.

Here are a few ways you can follow to attain mindfulness and increase your focusing power-

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Enjoy the silence: From morning to night, our ears are buzzing with phone calls, traffic, conversations around, television sounds and when we are free from all of it, we fill the void with music. Sometimes, keeping the surroundings silent is also important. The way to mindfulness is to understand quietness. Gently feel and explore the silence around you.

Learn to be alone: When you sit alone, your mind would definitely be baffled with thousands of thoughts. Give time to your thoughts, understand why they disturb you, find the root cause and solve it. When we sit alone and talk to ourselves, we lead to the right path of understanding ourselves better. Take time and heal better.

Meditate around nature: We can not always control what happens in our life but meditating can help us achieve the right attitude. Take out 15 to 30 minutes from your busy schedule to meditate. Concentrate on the sounds coming from your surroundings such as the rustling of leaves, chirping of birds, kids playing around, feel the wind flowing over your skin.

Focus on your breathing: Focussing on your breath is the main step of mindfulness. This way you can improve your presence of mind and feel fresh. Mindfulness will not only bring better concentration but will also help you to keep your blood pressure in control and support healthy living.

Check on your screen time: Whenever we are on our mobile phone we tend to overload extra information in our head through social media which disturbs us later. Set your boundaries with screentime.

Focus on one thing: Multitasking is useful but not all the time. Slow down and concentrate well on one thing at one time this will help you to enjoy the moment fully and will let you give your best.

Move and feel: Do some yoga, light workout or even stretching while working. Being aware of the sensations you feel in your body can help promote mindfulness.

Try these techniques to follow mindfulness even if it is for a few minutes. Practice them patiently for a revival of spirits.