MINDFUL PRACTICES

NOTICING OR DEEPENING THE BREATH

Noticing the breath is an important practice for any mindful or meditative endeavour. The breath is always with you in the present moment, and focussing on it helps pull your attention out of your train of thought which is often focussed on the past or future. Noticing and deepening the breath even for 10 seconds can help you feel more calm and centered. When you're good at focussing on the breath (and away from your train of thought), you can add another focus if you wish. In mindful practice you often have a light attention on the breath (in the background), while focussing your attention on something else, such as experiencing the moment more fully; relaxing the body; or having intentional thoughts/focus. The breath itself is an interesting focus, reminding you that nothing in life is permanent, due to its nature of coming and going. Think about bringing things into your life on the inbreath and letting them go on the outbreath. Stress causes shallow breathing, so slowing and deepening the breath is a simple way to calm you down. It brings in more oxygen, and adjusts your nervous system and focus to a slower pace.

COMING BACK TO THE PRESENT MOMENT (& MINDFULNESS ON THE MOVE)

The mind is always thinking about things, but it's also important to directly experience or feel things. In other words, it's important to get out of your head sometimes. Notice your breath and take your focus off your train of thought to bring yourself back to the present moment where life happens. To experience more in the present moment, breathe and notice what happens through your senses and body sensations as you move. You can use sight, sound, smell, taste and touch to more fully experience the moment, without thinking about the moment or needing to judge and label it in words. A light attention on your breath in the background while you experience the moment helps keep you out of busy thoughts. When you notice your thoughts going again (and you will, over and over again, it's part of the practice), gently let go of the thoughts and come back to the present moment. Mindful walking and mindful eating are great practices in everyday life because you walk and eat many times a day. Walking and eating can be cues to tune into your breath and experience life fully instead of living in your mind or in "automatic pilot" mode.

WORKING WITH THOUGHTS OR EMOTIONS

Once you are more aware of yourself and which thoughts (causes) lead to which effects (emotions, reactions, behaviours), you can make conscious choices to adjust things as needed. Become the detached observer of your train of thought for a period of time, with the goal of noticing thinking habits, or trends in your reactions. For example, you may have songs running through your mind, past arguments, recent conversations, plans, lists, or resentments. You will notice repetitive trends. Because your mind and emotions are connected, you will find out how particular lines of thought lead to particular emotions and reactions. With the detailed knowledge you gain as the observer of your thoughts and feelings, you can then proceed to adjusting the thinking habits that lead to emotions, behaviours, or outcomes that don't serve you. You can create more space and peace in your mind by letting go of unconstructive or repetitive thinking habits that don't add anything positive to your quality of life. Many people go through life believing "life just happens," but this practice gives you more fine control, over thoughts and feelings, to affect more of what happens in life.

FEELING BODY SENSATIONS, MOVEMENTS, & BALANCE

Tune into the breath (and out of your thoughts) and feel your body as you sit, stand, or move through the day. Notice anywhere you feel heaviness, tension or pain. Keep a light attention on your breath in the background. Breathe and focus attention into a tense spot on your in-breath, and relax it as much as possible on your out-breath. Notice any tingling sensations or little shooting pains as you relax out tensions. Try not to resist them as this is your body opening up tension and letting things (blood, lymph, energy or qi) flow again. Another variation is to keep a light attention on your breath in the background as you try to relax and let your body settle into a more balanced posture while you walk, sit, or stand. Breathe energy/light/relaxation into your body (feel it, don't think about it), and relax as your body settles into a more balanced position with each out-breath. Feeling your breath and body at the same time grounds your energy. When you're grounded, your energy flows better (in and out), and stays topped up as you move through the day. Practice this to prevent you from carrying stress, or feeling “drained” at the end of the day. When you’re practiced at “feeling your body” and not just living in your head, practice connecting the awareness of your mental, emotional, and physical self together. A self that’s more internally integrated can be more effective and connected in the outer world as well. Move through the day one breath, one thought, feeling, and movement at a time.

NOTICING THE SPACE AROUND THINGS

The world is made up of things that are both "there" and "not there." It can be relieving to the mind to stop actively focussing for a while to notice the space around things. It can encourage a change of perspective to focus more on emptiness, especially if you have spinning thoughts or a stressful busy life. It's easier for busy thoughts to clear while focussing on the breath and contemplating the space around things. You may even notice a physically relieving sensation in your head while doing this practice. The mind and body can become cluttered with tensions throughout the day, and these can be noticed or felt while focussing on the space around things. Breathe in emptiness or light energy, then relax and breathe out clutter or heaviness from your mind and body. This is a good practice to do after work, while walking outside, or before bed to release the tensions of the day. Philosophically speaking, noticing the space around things can remind you to pay attention to the intangible things in life such as energy, spirit, and love.

FEELING EMPATHY, COMPASSION, OR GRATITUDE

You can set an intention to practice being empathetic, or compassionate towards the people you meet in a day. You may have one particular person or group of people you want to focus on, like kids, a parent, spouse, neighbours, co-workers, strangers, or someone you have trouble getting along with. For another practice, you could approach your week with a feeling of gratitude, trying to remember and appreciate what you have, instead of focussing on what you don’t have. A proactive intention to focus on people or attitudes in a certain way helps you notice, question, and adjust your habitual way of relating. It helps you interrupt your usual assumptions so you can choose to act and react differently. A practice like this often brings new information to light (about your habits of thought and behaviour), along with new possibilities for life and relationships. People who practice moving through life with positive thoughts, feelings, and intentions notice there is a physical difference between the 'lightness' of positive feelings and the 'heaviness' of negative feelings. Know that you can always shift your intentions and focus on purpose, to adjust how you feel.

NOTICING SOUND, COLOUR, OR SHAPES

Take a walk, tune into your breath (and out of your thoughts), and focus on one of these things: Letting sounds come to your ears; letting what you see come to your eyes (passively, as if you're watching a movie); noticing just colour; or noticing just shapes. Keep a light attention on slower deeper breathing in the background. Note how you feel before and after each practice. These practices help you realize you can control what to focus on, and show you there are many things you don't notice in any given moment, especially if you’re focussed on a busy mind, or emotional reactions. New pathways are forged in the brain when you focus your attention in different ways, so remember to feel, imagine, notice, and be creative. Shifting awareness away from words or thoughts built from language can be a relief to an over-busy, ruminating mind. On the other hand, if you are more emotional than logical, it can help to use words to identify your feelings and where they come from so you can fully understand them. Each time you interrupt repetitive thoughts or emotions, you train your brain to focus with intention; perceive more; and improve your quality of life.

AWARENESS OF ACTIONS & REACTIONS

Become an observer of your actions and reactions, as they happen, for a particular period of time. Notice your assumptions, expectations, motives, behaviour, and reactions, in relation to a particular conflict or problem. It's more possible to notice the cause and effect of your actions and reactions from a detached observer's point of view instead of being fully immersed in emotions and details of the moment. A goal of practice is to become the experiencer, and the observer of the experience at the same time. It's actually a relief to be in the role of observer, who is a step removed, because you become aware of the silent watcher within yourself that can remain present and calm even as circumstances, thoughts, or emotions change. This silent watcher, or observer gives you enough objectivity to see your old habits in a new light, so you can identify where changes can be made to help you get more of what you want, and less of what you don't want. When you become more open and flexible, instead of depending on habits, you'll notice you have more choices in life, and more confidence in the actions you choose.

FEELING OPEN & RELAXED

It's easy to become permanently tense or closed in everyday busy life. Setting an intention to stay open and relaxed is a reminder (to your mind and body) that it's important not to resist things by default. A practice like this shows you where you are unconsciously remaining tense or closed. You may be holding your shoulders up high instead of relaxing them down, or not being receptive or relaxed with a particular person. The body, mind and energy work better on openness so anywhere you can note tension and relax it out is a step toward better health and wholeness. When you practice being open and relaxed, notice if you're hurrying for no reason, or constantly focussing on what's next instead of what's happening now. The idea that life has to be lived in a stressful hurry is a product of a culture that's used to perpetual striving. While ambition is valuable, it can also be a problem when it isn't balanced with appreciation for what has already been achieved. When you relax into the present moment and open up to it, you may notice yourself relaxing, and time slowing down.

OPENING THE HEART & MIND

Set an intention to give and receive more love, and remain open to new ideas. A practice like this helps show you where your biases are. It may also show where you're closing down unnecessarily or using old defenses that are no longer relevant or needed. Maybe you’re not allowing yourself to give or receive love and support. There's a feeling of lightness that comes with opening the heart and mind which you can try to feel in your chest and head when you do this practice. Tune into the breath and imagine you're clearing the heaviness in your head and chest with each breath in. On the out-breath relax and release heaviness or tension. Another variation is to feel like you're breathing into your chest/head and breathe out through the soles of your feet. Practically speaking this feels like your head and chest open up, and your feet feel more heavy and relaxed on the ground. Stay open to giving and receiving little connections like a nod or a smile as you meet people through the day. Try to cultivate a feeling of open curiosity to counter habitual responses, and feel the joy that comes from having a receptive and loving approach to life.

PRACTICING NON-JUDGMENT

The categorizing human brain likes to put people and things into categories so it will know what to expect. This is one reason why it's common to criticize and judge even when there's no good reason for doing it. Unnecessary judgment takes up a lot of space in your mind that could be better used for experiencing peace and quiet, or for doing something constructive. You can practice non-judgment by setting an intention such as: ”Today I will notice and let go of judging and labelling." This doesn't mean you can't form opinions, it means when you notice yourself labelling things as good/bad, fat/thin, ugly/pretty, i hate it/i love it, etc, you question whether it's necessary, then drop it from your train of thought when it's not. Your judgments might close down options or prevent you from seeing different choices you could make. It’s also easy to judge and criticize others because it helps you avoid thinking about yourself and your own problems. There’s plenty to do to clean up your own mind and life, so if you notice your focus is often on managing or criticizing others, look within for the fears driving your self-avoidance. Non-judgment can help you achieve more mental-emotional balance by quieting the left brain (which is categorizing and language-based), and bringing the right brain more online to sense and perceive things in a holistic way.

PRACTICING NON-STRUGGLE

It's easy to be in the habit of resisting things, and not realize the extent to which it's happening. Some people resist the alarm clock in the morning; worry over breakfast; rant in the car on the way to work; avoid people through the day; scarf down dinner over the sink; drink a bottle of wine and fall into bed; and feel a perfectly normal day was had. Others struggle against a never-ending chore list, waiting for the day when they can finally relax. You practice non-struggle to cultivate a feeling of acceptance of yourself, others, and life as it comes, instead of resisting things (mentally/ emotionally/physically), for any reason. Remember (or imagine) what it feels like to be completely open to life, and positive and relaxed as you go about it. Practicing non-struggle is both an idea and a feeling. Relax, breathe, and allow yourself to go through the day moment by moment while you stay calm and relaxed. Let one moment lead to the next without feeling like you have to actively judge or manage anything in advance. Life is limited and it must be felt and enjoyed now while it lasts, not simply managed or tolerated while awaiting an imagined better time in the future.

PRACTICING BEGINNER'S MIND

Beginner's mind is like the openness children have when they encounter new things or face the day with abandon. No goals, expectations, fears, or judgments, just open curiosity. It's being in the moment, open to your senses, to experience life without pre-conceived ideas about how it will unfold. When you practice Beginner's Mind, the idea is to face all things as if they are new, so you allow space for new possibilities instead of letting everything be decided by your expectations or judgments. Approach relationships, conversations, and even mundane activities as if for the first time, and stay open to new feelings and possibilities. Let one moment lead to the next without expectations while you keep your mind open. Let go of controlling and managing time, the schedule, others, your feelings, or others’ feelings. Be with things as they are in each moment and be patient while allowing life, responses, actions, and reactions to unfold. It’s easier to do this if you let go of the idea that everything has to happen instantly or in a rush. It’s good to have plans, but it’s also important to balance that by letting life come to you.  

SOFTENING THE HARD EDGES

The "hard edges" are physical tensions, judgments, fears or anything that feels hard and closed rather than soft and open. Cultivate a feeling of softness inside your body and mind by relaxing completely. Use a visualization if it helps, then try to feel the softness in your body. For example, your entire body and mind is filled with cotton or the sound and smell of waves on the beach. Breathe in softness and light, and breathe out tensions as you relax. Try to feel the softness in your whole body out to the surface of your skin, then let the softness extend out past your body as you continue to follow your breath, and feel what it's like to be bigger than the confines of your body. The softer you feel on the inside, the longer it will take for tensions to accumulate and bring you to a reaction or feeling of intense irritation. You can tell a lot about people by the way they move or hold their bodies. Notice tensions you are holding, whether they are mental, emotional, or physical, and try to soften them up. Notice how tension or softness affects your posture; how you move in space; your words and body language; and notice how soft, free, or open you feel on the inside.

DROPPING BUSY MIND

A busy mind is a constantly active, or ruminating mind. It goes around in circles, or lights on whatever happens along. If your physical body thrashed about the way a busy mind does, you'd be taken to the hospital immediately. The first step to dropping busy mind is noticing it's there in the first place. Observe your train of thought for a period of time, to see how it operates. When you observe the content of random thoughts, it becomes clear you could be putting your mind to better use. To practice, have an intention to keep a light awareness on your thinking. When you notice you're not consciously choosing your thoughts, tune into your breath and intentionally re-focus on a particular subject, or focus your attention completely on one of your senses instead (what you hear, what you see, or what you feel). You can also try to breathe and just “be” without thinking. Often, you need to practice interrupting busy mind many times before you can empty your mind easily, but each time you interrupt busy mind it is being trained to operate differently. If it doesn’t seem possible to affect your busy mind, take a look at your coffee, drug/alcohol, and food intake, as well as exercise, sleep, and stress.