Want to feel more present? Try these Daily Mindfulness Exercises
Read on to learn about simple Mindfulness Exercises
We all lead such busy lives. Icould start every post with this sentence. For most people weekdays are anaction packed schedule of work, errands and home life. Throw in kids and itfeels like running a race each day. It is easy to feel overwhelmed or like an automaton,going through the motions, often times with little presence as we move fromtask to task, stuck in the constant chatter or worry of our thoughts. Thatsaid, it is important to give ourselves a break from it all by focusing onbeing fully present or simply more mindful and aware in our tasks.
Many studies show that practicing mindfulness can help us lead a much happier, fuller life. So what does mindfulness mean anyways? Simply put: it is the state of actively focusing on the present moment. Don't just stop and smell the flowers, look at them in wonder. Allow yourself to be amazed at the tiny details that make that flower unique. Maybe you catch a bee pollinating it. Sit for a moment and watch this interaction and say a little thank you to the important work that little bee is doing. Sounds silly?! So what!…try it anyways and take deep breathes while you are doing it. Then take notice of how the whole experience made you feel. Considering all of the digital distractions out there, we really could use some lessons in being present. Check out this article put out by Forbes.
Don’t just stop and smell the flowers, look at them in wonder.
Short on time? Aren’t we all. Incorporating mindfulness practices into your life does not need to take up much time at all. They can be fun short little activities to do throughout the day and can last just a minute or two.
The trickiest part is remembering to do them. Sticky notes help and are easy to put in obvious places, helping you to take pause a few times each day.
I recently gave myself the amazing gift of spending the weekend away at a silent Buddhist meditation retreat. I got the opportunity to practice plenty of mindfulness and meditation. I enjoyed my experience so much that I purchased a book written by the abbes of the monastery I visited (she is also and MD, a pediatrician, a mother and a grandmother). The book is called “How to Train a Wild Elephant & Other Adventures in Mindfulness”. There are 53 practices she discusses in her book. Below I have listed my top 10 favorites, though it was hard to choose, as they are all lovely. You could try focusing on one a week or a different one each day.
Once you get in the habit of these kinds of practices, soon you will come up with some of your own and start to be more present in every day life and activities. You will be amazed by how good it can make you feel, finding more joy in the mundane and being more present and loving with friends, family and all of your community!
10 Mindfulness Exercises to do Any Time
- Deep Breathes. Take a moment at any point in the day to breathe. I like to remember the numbers 4,5,6. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold breathe for 5 and breathe out for a 6 or even 7 count through your mouth. Do this two or three times in a row. Relax and feel your body letting go of any tension or anxiety. This is a great exercise to do when you notice yourself feeling particularly anxious or irritated.
- See the Color Blue. Look around your environment and look for the color blue. While walking from place to place, or sitting in a restaurant or at the park or even in an office setting, notice the color blue. From tiny things like the blue stitching on a coat or big things like the expansive blue sky. This simple act helps us to pay more attention and notice more things in our environment. Being more present and thus feeling more alive and a part of the world around us.
- Appreciate your hands. Your hands do so much for you each and every day. Take time to notice them while they do their busy work. While washing your hands or drying dishes, tying your shoelaces or holding a child’s hand. Think how much they do without us even realizing it. Notice the details, the lines, how they are aging and celebrate them as your very own unique hands. You may start to notice other peoples hands. We use our hands to animate a story, reach out to a loved one, or catch a falling object. Obviously I could go on and on. Be grateful for the important work they do.
- Mindful Eating. This one is difficult to remember to do however we all have to eat, so try to remember to eat mindfully. I am so guilty of cramming an energy bar in my mouth as I am running out the door. I realize there is not always time to really do it but when you can, try to pause between each bite and really enjoy all of the flavors and textures in your mouth. Also take notice of what your food looks like. Some times food can be quite beautiful! When I was on my silent meditation retreat, we were instructed to eat in silence, focusing only on our food. I was amazed out how very delicious everything tasted. Even a simple bowl of oatmeal with a little cinnamon and honey had never tasted so good! I was also surprised at how extremely full I felt after eating this way for three days. Check out this book on the topic. So, take pause and enjoy your food.
- True Compliments. This is such a lovely practice which asks us to slow down, pay more attention to the people around us and give true, genuine and thoughtful compliments. Not just a “Hey, I like your scarf” to the bank teller, but center compliments around something that touched you. This exercise has the beautiful possibility of a domino effect, reminding others to do the same. It also reminds us not to take kind gestures for granted but instead to show genuine gratitude for the people in our lives and watch them light up inside when their efforts are acknowledged. From strangers to loved ones, give thanks, because really, we are all in this together, right?
- Notice the Trees. An obvious favorite of mine, since I spend my days educating others about the wonder of trees. But you do not have to know the names of trees to appreciate them. Either from a window or spending a little time outside, take notice of the trees around you. Their different shapes, colors, textures. Take a moment to look at the finer details, like leaf shapes, patterns you see, even noticing how the little buds on twigs are different. Don’t over think it, just notice the details. And just for a moment you might acknowledge our relationship to trees. What they breathe out we breathe in and what we breathe out, they breathe in. Kind of amazing when you stop and think about it. Why not take a deep breathe in while spending time among the trees.
- Notice Dislike. This is an interesting one. When you feel yourself becoming impatient, angry or irritated by something or someone, instead of stewing in the negative emotion, take pause. Notice, “Wow, this person is really irritating me right now!!!” and then do a breathing exercise, or just take a couple deep breathes. Then try to dig deep and find some loving kindness for this moment. A little moment of thoughtful compassion can help us freshen up our perspective on why we are irritated and help us let go of that negative emotion. Be kind to yourself on this one…we all get a little (or a lot) ticked off and annoyed now and again. It is part of being human and there are many different factors that can play into why.
- Look up and look around. Take breaks from your daily work and feast your eyes and mind on what is nearby. Look up at the ceiling and notice the texture, any cracks, or grains of wood. Then look around you and notice the little details of materials in your environment. If you are outside, by all means take in the expansive sky, or the tree canopy above. Zen Buddhism refers to this as tapping into the ‘Suchness’ of a moment or the ‘as-is-ness’, if that helps. You are just paying attention to the beauty of this very moment as it is right NOW.
- Signs of Aging. I love this one so much. It is a good one for me as I am always studying the wrinkles around my eyes that seem to deepen every single day. So, in this exercise you are to pay attention to signs of aging in yourself, in others, in plants and animals and even inanimate objects. Certainly, calls attention to the impermanence of this life. Instead of fretting over it, celebrate what it means. Usually the signs of aging represent a life well lived or an object put to good use. When I notice the crows feet or smile lines on a loved ones face, I am always moved by how much more beautiful they seem to me. It also helps me embrace my own signs if aging. The same goes for a decaying leaf or the distinguished grey whiskers appearing on my sweet pups face. Try to find the beauty and significance of it all.
- Waiting. Lines at the post office, grocery store, waiting on a date, sitting in traffic, even waiting for the darn screen to load!! All nice opportunities to practice some of the above exercises.
These are also fun activities to try with kids. With a little bit of practice, we can all learn to be more present and mindful which can translate to a more joyful experience in life. Even the little moments can surprise you, if you only to tap into them.
Meditation for Beginner's: A Guide to Mindfulness Meditation Practice for Newbies like Me
Tips for starting a meditation practice that can ease anxiety and enhance peace of mind
Feeling stressed, overwhelmed or struggling with insomnia? Curious about Meditation but are a newbie, like me? Meditation and mindfulness may truly give you some relief. Meditation has no doubt become a buzzword whose "new age" stigma is starting to fade. And for good reason. Scientific studies including a Harvard study, look at how meditation practice and mindfulness exercises have been proven to have profound effects on the brain, indeed helping us better cope with stress, anxiety and myriad ailments both mental and physical.
My Dad first took me to a meditation class in Santa Monica, CA in the early 90s. Besides the overwhelming smell of incense I don't remember much but one thing that did stick with me was the instruction to close my eyes and let my thoughts drift by like clouds in the sky. Simple but very helpful advice that I still use today. Since then I have taken a few meditation classes, read several books that I highly recommend and have attended a silent meditation retreat at a Buddhist monastery, which was extremely challenging for me but so very uplifting and restorative. You can read more about that experience here.
I started meditating regularly a few years ago when I was really feeling overwhelmed by motherhood. I felt tired and overwhelmed and was losing my patience easily. Now I meditate daily but admittedly it is a challenge to make the time for it. Some times I only meditate for 3 minutes!! The longest I ever do it for is 25 minutes. And finally sometimes, if I can only squeeze in a few minutes I work in some mindfulness practice and a few deep breathing exercises throughout the day. The important thing is not to be hard on yourself. BE KIND TO YOURSELF....you are doing the best you can with what you've got.
I started meditating regularly a few years ago when I was really feeling overwhelmed by motherhood. I felt tired and overwhelmed and was losing my patience easily.
So how do you do it?
I have had many a friend express interest in meditation but admitted they don't know exactly what it means or how to do it. Or they sit down and try and are immediately frustrated and bored. Sound familiar?
Basically the act of meditation involves finding a quiet spot to sit, closing your eyes and focusing on your breathe for a set amount of time. I use the timer on my phone. You will be constantly and gently reminding yourself to stay in the present moment and focus back in on your breathing, letting go of thoughts that creep in. When I first began meditating I would get easily frustrated and mad at myself as the thoughts ALWAYS invaded my focus.
That said, an important piece to remember is the whole experience of constantly bringing your breathe back into focus, is part of what meditation is. Training your mind to relax. Don't be fooled by your mind telling you that your are failing. The art of reminding yourself GENTLY, KINDLY to come back to the breathe, is what it is all about. Be kind and forgiving with yourself, stick with it, starting with just a few minutes at a time and eventually you will train your mind to relax and find your breathe. Now, I get so excited to sit down and meditate and I quickly settle into the euphoric feeling of giving myself the peaceful gift of being present. This feeling is so genuine to me, I decided to blog about it....which is something I NEVER thought I would do.
A few tips
- find a quiet spot to sit undisturbed and try to sit with your back straight. Using a chair is just fine. If you would like instruction on special meditation poses, click here.
- attempt to meditate the same time each day. Often first thing in the morning is good, perhaps after a few wake-up stretches.
- Try starting with a body scan. With your eyes closed and breathing quietly, start thinking about your toes and move up your body slowly to the top of your head. If your mind drifts, not to worry, just come back to where you left off.
- Try repeatedly counting to ten. This is my go to strategy. Breathe in on 1 and out on 2, in on 3 and out on 4, all the way up to 10 and start over again.
- When I am short on time I will squeeze in a couple of minutes right after I drop my kids off or right before I pick them or even just in my office right before I teach my class.
- You can also try a breathing exercise: Take a deep breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it in for 5 seconds and slowly breathe out through your mouth for 6 or 7 seconds. Just remember 4, 5, 6.
- You can practice some mindfulness exercises any time. Check out some ideas here.
- There are many apps you can use for guided meditation, here are a few I have used and liked: Headspace, Insight Timer
Creating a Meditation Space
If you create a special space in your home, it may encourage you to make time for meditation each day. My spot is in my office. I have a little table with a pretty yellow scarf over it. I have a few candles and a few things that have meaning to me, including some beautiful little nature objects, like shells, acorns and stones. When I have the time for a longer practice, I make more of a ceremony out of it, I place my hands together in a prayer position, and give a little bow to both where I will sit and to my little alter, while sending out a silent prayer of gratefulness or just the phrase "thank you". I repeat this at the end of my session. The simple act of gratitude can have lasting effects on us. Read more about that here. This is certainly not necessary. As I said earlier, sometimes my practice is just a couple minutes in my car (often with sunglasses on..teehee), right before pick up. If nothing else I try to find a few moments each day to pause, take notice of and celebrate the little things with a few deep breathes. The way the light shines on a leaf, the warm sun on my face or a kind smile from a stranger. In the end all we really have is this very moment. Stay present, friends!
To Catch A Leaf: Getting Kids Outside and into Nature
It is no secret that we are a screen addicted digitally saturated society. When Richard Louv published his book, “Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder”,people finally started tuning in to the urgent need to get our kids outside and connected to nature. With an ever increasing exposure to digital inputs, it is becoming even more important to encourage children to tap into wild places both on a sub-conscience level as well as to explicitly illuminate the interdependent relationship we have with the land. But this post is all about getting kids outside to have fun in nature.
I myself have absolutely been guilty of turning on a screen to keep my kiddos occupied so that I can accomplish some task or to simply catch a break. Trust me, no judgment here. But I do feel we need to place even more emphasis on balancing that screen time with plenty of time outdoors. With some gentle nudging (or outright insisting!) and some suggestions, it is not too difficult to get even the youngest kids engaged outside…in fact I think they naturally gravitate towards nature.
I am often reminded of this during a walk home from school on a drizzly day, when getting home takes twice as long because my two children keep stopping to watch their leaf-boats travel down the gutter or the perfect climbing tree beckons them away from our amble home. And in the end, it is these moments that I give in to that have me feeling uplifted as well….as it turns out grown-ups need to feel connected outside too!
A study done by Roger S. Ulrich, Ph.D. at Texas A & M University on Evidence Based Environmental Design for Improving Medical Outcomes discusses how patients in hospitals with windows facing green spaces, healed much more quickly than those whose windows did not face green spaces. Seems obvious to me but surprisingly prioritizing a serene and calm space for patients to heal has been superseded by focusing funding for medical treatments and technological advances. Surely all important but perhaps we should consider the idea that being exposed to nature could be a medical treatment in itself.
So, studies show the therapeutic worth of spending time in natural spaces, whether we are tuned into it or not. And for children who are growing and learning so much every day, at every age, there is such restorative value in getting them outside, away from screens for some good old fashioned play in the yard.
The following are some ideas to get kids engaged in nature outside that are pretty simple and easy to do anywhere:
- LEAF CATCHING
This is one of my all time favorite outdoor games to play with my kids. You do need to head to a park for this one, unless you have a yard with trees and a little space to run around. The other requirement is a little breeze. Lastly, Autumn is really the best time of year for this, as all of the leaves begin to fall. All you have to do is stand under a tree on a gusty day and try to catch a leaf as it drifts down. Sounds easy enough? Try it…it is surprisingly hard but such great silly fun!! The best tip is to pick one leaf just as it departs the tree and try to keep an eye on the same leaf till it gets with in reach. They are squirrelly little buggers and many an attempt end on the ground in a fit of giggles. - LEAF BOATS
This one is great fun but you must have access to some water, so great on or after a rainy day. A gutter or a big puddle will do or if there is a nearby stream or river, even better. Use thick broad leaves or chunks of bark and pretend it is a little boat, so well structured to float. You can use a twig or a feather as the mast and other small nature objects can be your sailors. Then go ahead and set sail. It is fun to make many of them with friends. - NATURE MANDALAS
Head outside and start collecting nature objects like leaves, cones, nuts, pebbles, twigs and the like. Pick something to act as your centerpiece and then start creating concentric circles using your nature objects, radiating out from the center.For example, you could start with a dandelion flower as the center and then perhaps make a circle of dandelion leaves around the flower like petals or sun rays. Then at the end of each dandelion flower you could place an acorn or a pebble, and so on and so forth. It can be big or small, simple with just one or two of the same kind of objects or more elaborate. - CREATURE WATCHING
This activity is all about connecting to the wild creatures that live among us but perhaps we do not always pay attention to. Tell your child that we are going to try to imagine what it’s like to be another creature by seeing who you can find and observing what the creature does. You can start by simply sitting on the ground near a shrub or some grass or weeds even. Start looking for ants or little insects and simply sit and watch what they are up to. If your child starts to lose interest move on to the next creature. Look for birds in trees, worms in the dirt, squirrels, bees. You could even record who you see, what they are doing and what they look like. You could even go so far as to try to find out the exact species you discovered and learn even more about their habitat. You could help your child create a nature journal in this way. - FAIRY HOUSES AND MINI FORTS
Imagine with your child that when people are not watching, or that perhaps when the sun goes down, little wild forest creatures come out to explore and that they get tired during their exploratory missions so will need a spot to rest. Now start collecting small twigs, broad leaves, little stones or pebbles, a few flower petals (dandelions are good plentiful options, that won’t upset anyone’s treasured garden). Once you have your building supplies start creating. Twigs are good for creating four posts to hold up a leafy roof. Pebbles or stones could serve as stepping stones and petals could create a nice bit of bedding inside of the structure. It is really up to the designer. - CLOUD WATCHING
Well this one is a classic that never gets old. When you lay down on your back and focus in on clouds, it is amazing to see how much they move and change, when at first glance they appear to be quite still. As you watch them float and change forms, all sorts of pictures come to mind…just wait and see what your child comes up with. - LEAF SHAPES and FLOWERS
Ask your child to wander around the yard or wander with them through the neighborhood or in a park and start collecting as many different kinds of leaves as you can find. Then sit down with them and spend time observing the differences. Look at the margins or edges of the leaves. Are they toothed or serrated like a saw blade or are they smooth. Look at the tips of the leaves and the base of the leaves. Notice the color, especially during fall when leaf color can change. Look at the overall shape. Look at the veins in the leaves and how that effects the overall shape. You could even trace or draw the shapes of the leaves and write down the differences you see. In addition, with out necessarily picking them, carefully look inside a flower. See if there are any nectar guides, or spotted patterns, which lead pollinators in. See if you can identify the flower morphology, like the pistil and stamen, which holds the pollen. May be more fun for older kids.
Often times you start with some suggestions for outdoor play and the kids take it from there. Check out this book by Andy Goldsworthy for some inspiration. Have fun, get outside and enjoy nature with your kids!
Tapping into the Wild : Take a Mindful Moment in your own Backyard
Let’s face it, life can be overwhelming…to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes I want to curl up in a little ball and nap my worries away. Which by the way is a lovely option, if you can afford the time. As a parent working part-time I find myself hurdling through each day, juggling schedules, pick-ups and drop offs, carpools, volunteering, my kids sporting events and performances, planning and shopping for family meals, planning the class I teach at our local University, grading tests and reviewing lecture notes, constantly bouncing between maintaining my career and my busy family life.
Then I turn the news on during one of my daily commutes around town and my world comes crumbling down as I learn about a hurricane that has devastated a community, or millions of people become refugees seeking asylum as their country unravels in war, or that soon there will be more pieces of plastic in the sea then there are fish. Sometimes it all feels like too much. Then I am jolted back to my local reality and have arrived at my kid’s school for pickup.
When we return home, my daughter tosses her backpack aside and beckons me to join her out in the yard. She insists I sit down in the grass with her, so she can show me the tiny fairy house that she has constructed with her Papa, beneath the canopy of a rhododendron. Little pebbles are pushed into the soil in a line to form stepping stones leading towards a tiny humble structure of twigs with a fern leaf roof. Bright yellow flower petals are sprinkled inside to create a soft landing for the hopeful visit of a miniature winged forest creature.
Feeling the soft cool grass between my fingers, I choose to give in to this moment. With a deep breath, I let all of my worries melt away and let the present moment soak in. I see the dappled light dancing on the leaves as a light breeze joins us. I see the elegant sculptural twist of a twig stretching from a branch and notice the deep mahogany color revealed beneath a peeling patch of bark. I watch an ant struggle to get around the uplifted bark as she makes her way down the twig, clearly on an important mission. I hear my daughter humming a quiet little tune as she continues to engineer her fragile twiggy structure. I tap into the realization that this precious little moment has me feeling completely at ease. I notice this feeling of being content, grateful and happy. I send a silent wish of love and healing out into the world and remind myself that I am doing the best I can with what I’ve got and where I have landed in this complicated life… and that it is this moment that I need to be present in. And then I let myself embrace the thought that …it will all be ok.
When I pay close attention to the tiny delicate details in nature, from watching a leaf flicker in the wind or noticing the intricate patterns of veins in a leaf, with a deep breathe a gentle peace fills me. Give it a try.
If you would like to learn more about daily mindfulness practice check out this post.
