Mindfulness is a simple but powerful way to bring more contentment and joy into your life. Daily mindfulness exercises are helping many people today to navigate large and small challenges, to improve their mental, emotional and physical health, and to be more connected to themselves and others. Research shows that mindfulness is a highly effective stress reduction technique and can help you manage anxiety, fear and other unwelcome reactions to everyday situations.
Mindfulness activities are available to everyone and require no special tools or skills. In a nutshell, you try to be focused on the present moment and the sensations that you feel at the time. Sitting meditation is one well-known mindfulness practice, but there are many others.
The seven exercises described below offer you different ways to access the benefits of mindfulness. We’ve put together this introduction to mindfulness for beginners and mindful living tips to help you explore them.
When is the best time to start mindfulness exercises? Today!
1. Mindful Breathing
We inhale and exhale all day and night without giving it any thought. Our bodies just do it as our minds are focused on other things.
Mindful breathing is a basic practice of noticing each inhale and exhale. By paying attention to your breath, you can release negative thoughts and emotions and feel your whole body relaxing. Mindful breathing is easy, and you can do it anywhere at any time, but it takes conscious effort for you to reap the many benefits.
- Start by sitting in a relaxed, comfortable position, either on a chair or on the floor with a cushion. Hold your back straight and upright, but not rigid. Rest your hands lightly on your knees or in your lap.
- Focus on each sensation in your body, from your feet to your scalp, and relax wherever you feel tension.
- Breathe naturally, inhaling and exhaling at an even pace. Tune into the rhythm and the flow of air in and out. Notice where you feel the breath in your body, from your nostrils to your chest to your abdomen. Allow each breath its full cycle, beginning the next breath after you’ve exhaled fully.
- Chances are your mind will start to wander as other thoughts arise in your mind. This is normal, especially as you start a new mindfulness practice. Don’t worry or feel like you’re doing something wrong. When you notice that you’re thinking of other things, bring your attention back to the cycle of breathing as often as you need to.
- Start with five to seven minutes of mindful breathing. Set an alarm, either on your smartphone or a kitchen timer, so you don’t have to check the time while you’re focused on your breathing.
- When your time is up, take one last deep breath and try again to relax all your muscles, including those in your face.
Many people begin their day with mindful breathing or use the technique to help them relax before sleep. Setting up a routine will help you be consistent with this practice and release your daily stress regularly. You also may find it useful whenever you’re feeling anxiety, fear or anger. Try it before a big presentation or a difficult conversation with a family member, friend or colleague.
2. Body Scan Meditation
Like mindful breathing, body scan meditation directs your attention from away what’s happening around you and toward how you feel inside. With body scan meditation, you focus on all parts of your body rather than just your breath. This process works to relax and ease tension in your muscles and joints as well as your mind. Body scan meditation also can alert you to aches and pains that you might be unconsciously ignoring.
You can do body scan meditation anywhere, but it will work best in a place that has few outside distractions and where you will not feel self-conscious about others seeing you. Start by lying down or finding a comfortable seat. Close your eyes or at least gaze downward so you aren’t thinking about anything but your body.
Begin with a few deep breaths to help relax you. With each exhale, try to release tension throughout your body. Then, breathe normally and, beginning with the top of your head, focus on the sensation that you feel there. If you feel pain, take note of it and see if breathing steadily can release it.
Gradually move your attention down your body, checking in on your face, neck and shoulders after your forehead and scalp. Continue taking inventory of each part of your body, moving deliberately and patiently through each one. Allow a moment for your breath to help your body to relax before shifting from one part to the next.
Don’t quickly pass over your feet and toes but instead take time to flex them gently as you feel the sensations. When you’ve completed the whole scan, sit and breath for a few more moments as your body and mind reconnect to the outside world.
You can find lots of resources online to help you get started with body scan meditation. At Mindful.org, a 30 minute guide for beginners will help you learn how to get the most from the experience.
3. Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is a practice of focusing on the food you are consuming, its tastes, aromas and textures, where it comes from, how it was prepared and by whom, and how you feel as you eat. It helps you to slow down during meals, so you get more satisfaction from the food and become more alert to when you’re full.
With mindful eating, portion control becomes a natural habit. According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “Mindful eating encourages one to make choices that will be satisfying and nourishing to the body.”
The simplest way to start is to put only a single mouthful of food on your fork at a time and wait until you’ve swallowed it completely before taking another. Chew the food deliberately, giving yourself a chance to taste the full flavor of the food. Between bites, put your fork or spoon on the table. That easy strategy will prevent you from shoveling bite after bite into your mouth without thinking about it.
Mealtimes are a key opportunity for social connection, and you can still practice mindful eating while sitting at the table with others. Engage in conversation while thoughtfully enjoying the food. If you are alone, turn off the TV and put down the smartphone. Those distractions interfere with mindful eating.
Some people find that an exercise known as the “raisin meditation” is a helpful entry point to mindful eating. To do it, place a single raisin in your hand. If you don’t have raisins, you can choose any bite-size healthy food, such as grapes or strawberries.
Whichever food you choose, take in the food with your senses. Look at it as if you’ve never seen it before and notice its shape, size, color and how the light hits it. Experience the food’s texture with your fingertips. Bring it to your nose and take in its aroma, then touch it to your lips.
Pause to absorb all the details you’ve just experienced, then put the food on your tongue. Move it around to different parts of your mouth without biting it.
When you’re ready, bite down on the food with intention. Be aware of how it reacts to the bite, what flavors are released, and how it breaks down as you chew it. After it is broken down, make a conscious choice to swallow it. Imagine the food traveling into your digestive tract.
Once you’ve practiced the exercise, try to bring its principles into your daily meals, so that each bite becomes its own brief meditation.
Get our mindfulness tips for healthy holidays and how to eat mindfully in the summer!
4. Gratitude Journaling
Nearly everybody has reasons to be thankful in their life. Regularly focusing on these things helps us to stay positive no matter what challenges we are facing.
Gratitude journaling is the practice of acknowledging and recording your appreciation for the good things you experience. It can remind you during troubled times of the many blessings you enjoy.
You don’t need to buy a formal journal to begin a gratitude journaling process, though many people do. You can use any type of notebook, the notes app on your phone, a file on your computer, or any other format that suits you.
Whichever you choose, you need to capture your feelings in a physical record, not just in your head. Reviewing the entries is one of the benefits of the effort, so you need to be able to go back and look.
The things you list can be major, such as recovering from an illness or injury, or just minor moments, like when another family member folds the laundry before you. No matter the reason for your gratitude, be as specific as possible and take time to fill in the details, which give clarity and meaning to your entries.
While we reflexively appreciate kind gestures and generous actions, try to view obstacles and challenges as opportunities to grow. You can feel real gratitude for the struggles that make your accomplishments more meaningful.
As you think about and write down your reasons to be thankful, cast a wide net to all the people and events in your life. A small but thoughtful gesture from a stranger, like holding the door when your hands are full, can make your day just a little better and may be worthy of noting in your journal. The more variety in your entries, the more you’ll discover all the ways your life is full and rich.
Committing to writing daily or at least every other day will keep your focus on your gratitude and help build a habit of noticing reasons to be thankful as you go about your life. Every week or so, take time to review the journal to be reminded anew of all the ways that good fortune has favored you.
5. Walking Meditation
Sitting still is not the only way to practice mindfulness. For many people, meditating as you’re moving can help you focus your thoughts and relieve stress, while burning calories at the same time.
Walking meditation is easy to integrate into your daily life because most of us walk somewhere every day. Meditating when you’re outdoors helps you connect to the natural world and find gratitude for the big and little ways it sustains us.
To begin a practice of mindful walking, find a place that is free of obstacles and traffic, ideally one that is quiet, peaceful and not bustling with other people’s activities. This will help you stay focused on your thoughts and sensations with very few potential distractions. Pathways in parks and quiet back streets are common spots for walking meditation.
Start each session by centering yourself. Breathe deeply as you tune into the feelings throughout your body. Feel the breeze or the sunshine on your skin and sense the stable ground beneath your feet. Try to focus your awareness on the sensations without thinking about what to do with them.
Take a step while directing your attention to how your whole body moves together. Breathe normally but steadily. Complete each step with your full weight before shifting the weight to take the next step.
If your mind wanders, take a breath and refocus. Move slowly and evenly, finding a rhythm that keeps you moving as your mind pays attention to the sensations you are feeling.
Your arms can swing naturally, or you can clasp them behind your back, if that is comfortable for you. Keep your posture and movement natural but try to hold your head, shoulders and back aligned and straight without being too tense.
A walking meditation session can last as long as you are able to stay focused but start with just 10 minutes. You can do it any time of day that fits your schedule, but many people find mindful movement relieves stress at the end of their day. Try it at different times of day to see what works best for you.
6. Mindful Observation
A core aim of mindfulness is to anchor you in the present moment, freeing your mind from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. This practice helps you to get the most from each day and every interaction and activity. When you check in regularly with how you are feeling, you will be better able to make informed choices about what and how much to eat, when you need movement or rest, and all the other little decisions that come up throughout the day.
Like with other types of mindfulness, mindful observation starts by pay attention to your breathing for a few minutes. Next, inventory all the sensations you are feeling internally and externally. Notice how your body responds to these stimuli.
When you begin to feel fully aware of your body, look at the world around you, taking in the shapes, sizes, colors and other details you see without otherwise reacting to them. From physical sensations, move to observing sounds. Without naming them, attend to different sounds, such as the whir of traffic, birds chirping and leaves rustling.
The next level is to observe your own thoughts as they come and go, without clinging to or avoiding any of them. They appear and then fade in each moment. Notice them without getting caught up in their content. Treat them as a kind of parade that is marching by but that doesn’t need your participation.
You can practice mindful observation in almost any situation. Many people find it effective to contemplate a work of art or a natural scene as they try to open up to the power of mindful observation. You can do it when you’re at your desk or workstation, in the car or while sitting on a bench at lunchtime.
With just five minutes, you can relieve your stress and rejuvenate yourself through your mind’s power to connect to the moment. It’s a prescription for well-being that costs you nothing but a little time.
Quick Start Guide to Mindfulness
Here’s a simple guide to integrate mindfulness into your day:
- Mindful Breathing: Focus on your breath for 5 minutes.
- Body Scan Meditation: Notice each part of your body from head to toe.
- Mindful Eating: Savor each bite and chew slowly.
- Gratitude Journaling: Write down three things you’re grateful for.
- Walking Meditation: Take slow, mindful steps while focusing on the sensation.
- Mindful Observation: Observe your surroundings without judgment.
Mindfulness is a simple yet powerful tool for reducing stress, increasing happiness and improving mental clarity. By incorporating these mindfulness exercises into your daily routine, you can cultivate a greater sense of presence and well-being.
