The interesting thing about the practice of mindfulness is that somewhere along the way we've become to believe that mindfulness is a skill that we don't possess,
That we have to work towards,
And that we'll never actually perfect it.
But the reality is is that mindfulness is actually quite natural and you are already mindful of many things each day.
The issue is is that most of us simply remain mindful for only a fraction of a second at a time.
And so the idea here is to build more episodes of mindfulness,
How to lengthen and deepen and extend the amount of time that we are mindful.
And so perhaps it starts with setting aside one minute each day to deliberately be mindful.
One minute to focus specifically on the sensation of breathing.
60 seconds of noticing and observing to whatever is moving through your awareness in the moment.
As you get more comfortable you can extend these moments into a longer period of sitting mindfulness or meditation,
Giving your mind permission to become more and more clear,
Alert,
And peaceful.
But remember that small incremental steps and progress that feels simple is in fact the way to build a practice of mindfulness.
Start with one minute.
Take a couple of moments right now to adjust whatever you need to to bring yourself fully into the present moment.
Perhaps noticing the sensation of grounding your feet into the floor or solid surface of your shoe.
Can you pay attention to the sensation of the entire sole of both feet connected to a solid surface?
Can you start to notice the sensation of drawing breath into the body on an in-breath and noticing the sensation of what the breath feels like as it leaves the body?
Does it rush out quicker than the in-breath?
Do you feel like you fully release the air in the body?
As you get more comfortable setting aside a minute every day to deliberately be mindful,
You can start to add additional experiences where mindfulness can come into play,
Where you can be present with whatever is happening around you rather than working on autopilot and perhaps missing the present moment.
So see if you might be able to use events like showering in the morning or brushing your teeth,
Cooking your meal or making your coffee or walking out the door as reminders to be mindful.
Remembering to bring an open mind,
A sense of curiosity and non-judgmental acceptance to whatever the experience is that you're going through.
Starting with these simple 60-second practices serve a fundamental purpose in building the neural pathways and training your brain to be more mindful.
And so remember that progress doesn't mean giant leaps and bounds.
It can be small incremental steps,
Setting aside 60 seconds each day to deliberately be mindful.
Thank you for tuning in with me today.
I wish you a mindful and present day today.
