Week seven,
Informal practice.
Welcome,
I'm Dr Ed.
Ten minutes this week,
Exploring how to bring mindfulness into your everyday life.
The truth,
You don't need to sit on a cushion to be mindful.
The real practice isn't what happens in meditation.
It's what happens when you're making coffee,
Driving to work,
Or talking to your kids.
Formal practice,
For meditations we've done,
Trains the skill.
Informal practice is where you actually use it.
This week is about closing the gap between practice and life.
Now,
Find a comfortable position and let's begin.
Take three deeper breaths in and out through your nose.
Breathe in and out.
Breathe in and out.
In and out.
Now,
Let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
For the past six weeks,
You've been practicing formal meditation.
A set time,
A specific technique,
Dedicated practice.
That's important because it builds the muscle.
But mindfulness isn't just something you do for ten minutes a day.
It's a way of being present for your actual life.
And today,
We're going to practice how to make any activity a mindfulness practice.
So what is informal practice?
It's where you bring full awareness to everyday,
Ordinary activities.
Not adding meditation to your day,
But making what you're doing already into practice.
You may be already making coffee,
Eating lunch,
Showering,
Driving,
Walking to meetings,
Talking to people.
What if you were fully present for those things?
That is informal practice,
Not meditation plus life.
Life as meditation.
The difference?
Autopilot.
Making coffee while planning your day.
Worrying about work.
Checking your phone.
Mindful.
Actually feeling the cup in your hand.
Smelling the coffee.
Tasting it.
Being there for it.
It's the same activity,
But it's a completely different experience.
Here's how to start.
Choose three ordinary activities you do each day.
These become your anchor practices.
Your morning anchor might be the first thing you do.
Brushing your teeth.
Making coffee.
Showering.
Just choose one and commit to being fully present for it.
Just that one thing every morning.
A midday anchor,
Something you do in the middle of the day.
Eating lunch.
Walking to a meeting.
Making tea.
Just choose one.
When you do this activity,
You're present.
That's your midday practice.
And then an evening anchor.
Something to do as you wind down.
Driving home.
Walking through a door.
Sitting down after work.
Just choose one.
This becomes your evening touchpoint.
A moment to come back to presence.
Three activities already part of your day.
You're not adding anything.
You're just showing up for what's already happening.
Here's the method for any informal practice.
Step one.
Notice you're doing it.
The moment you start the activity,
Recognize,
I'm making coffee now.
Or I'm showering now.
Step two.
Bring attention to your senses.
What do you see,
Hear,
Feel,
Smell,
Taste?
Engage your senses fully.
Step three.
Notice when your mind wanders,
Because it will.
Within seconds,
You'll be planning,
Worrying,
Thinking about something else.
And that's normal.
So just gently return when you notice you're drifted.
Just come back.
There's no judgment here.
Just back to this,
Right here,
Right now.
And that's it.
There's four steps,
And it works for anything.
Here's an example.
Making coffee.
Notice that you're making coffee.
Feel the cup.
Hear the machine.
Smell the coffee.
Your mind will wander to your to-do list.
You bring it back to the smell,
The warmth,
The taste.
Another example.
Showering.
Notice you're in the shower.
Feel the water on your skin.
The temperature,
The pressure.
Your mind drifts off to a conversation yard.
And just bring it gently back to the sensation of the water,
Here and now.
Any activity can be a practice.
Here's another idea.
Use transitions for moments between activities.
These are gold mines for informal practice.
Before you open your laptop,
Three conscious breaths.
Before you walk into a meeting,
Pause at the door.
Ground yourself.
Before you start the car,
Sit for five seconds.
Notice you're here,
Now.
Before you open the front door after work,
Stop,
Breathe,
And arrive.
These micropauses create space.
They create autopilot momentum.
They help you choose how you want to show up.
You're not adding time to your day.
You're using transitions that already exist.
Three seconds,
That's all.
Breathe,
Notice,
Choose,
And continue.
Do this five times a day,
And you will have practiced more meditation and mindfulness than most people do in a week.
Here's what makes informal practice sustainable.
It doesn't require extra time.
It doesn't require special conditions.
You don't need a quiet room or a cushion.
You can practice in the car,
At your desk,
In the kitchen,
Walking down the hallway,
Standing in line,
Waiting for the computer to start.
The question is not,
When will I meditate?
It's,
Where am I right now?
That's the practice.
Bring your full presence to this moment,
Whatever the moment is.
Formal practice trains for skill.
Informal practice is where you live it.
Let's bring this to a close now.
Take three deeper breaths.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
In and out.
This week,
Choose your three anchor activities.
Morning,
Midday,
And evening.
And just commit to being fully present for those three things.
And notice transitions for moments between tasks.
Three seconds.
Breathe,
Ground,
And choose.
You don't need more time to practice mindfulness.
You just need to be present for the time you already have.
That's for change.
Not meditation plus life.
Life as practice.
And when you're ready now,
Just open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing.
And remember,
Every moment is an opportunity to come back.
