Mindful Mondays Blog Post Four: mindfulness in everyday activities
Our lives are comprised of moments, one after another. For instance, today you may have woken up, turned off your alarm, got up, showered, dried yourself, had breakfast, travelled to work or school, etc. We can engage in each of these moments with a sense of curiosity and engagement, or just on automatic pilot.
We can intentionally bring a mindful attitude to whatever we are doing to help us become more present and awake in every moment of our lives. We can be especially mindful to everyday activities like breathing, travelling and communicating - which we normally tend to on automatic pilot. The more we make an effort to bring mindfulness to our experiences, the more we will find ourselves spontaneously just “dropping into the moment” without even trying
Bringing mindfulness to everyday activity
For the next week, pick some everyday activities and try doing them mindfully. Simply bring curiosity to them and engage with them fully. You may like to experiment with a few of them, or you may prefer to pick one each day.
Here are some suggestions. Feel free to use these or create your own.
- When you first wake up in the morning, before you get out of bed, feel your body. Stretch like you did when you were a kid, just whatever feels right. Take a few mindful breaths. Connect with your intention for the day ahead. Notice which foot first touches the floor.
- Find some touchpoints in your body, for example, feeling your feet on the floor, your breath coming and going, the sensations around your heart. Reconnect with these as much as possible throughout the day.
- Throughout the day, take a few moments to bring your attention to your breathing. Set a timer to remind you to be present.
- Notice the sounds around you throughout the day. Really tune into the sound of the wind, rain, traffic, and birdsong etc. Listen to the background hum of conversation.
- Notice your body while you walk or stand. Take a moment to notice your posture. Pay attention to the contact of the ground under your feet. Feel the air on your face, arms, and legs as you walk. Are you rushing? Is your mind already where you are going? Come back to each step.
- Whenever you wait in a line or at a red light, use this time to notice standing/sitting and breathing. Feel the contact of your feet on the floor or the seat underneath you, and how your body feels. Bring attention to the expansion and contraction of your abdomen.
- Be aware of any points of tightness in your body throughout the day. See if you can breathe into them and, as you exhale, let go of excess tension. Is there tension stored anywhere in your body? For example, your neck, shoulders, stomach, jaw, or lower back? If possible, stretch or do yoga once a day.
- Focus attention on your daily activities such as brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, brushing your hair, putting on your shoes, doing your job. Bring curiosity and awareness to each activity.
- As you go to sleep at night, bring your attention to your body and your breathing. Let go of tension in the body and feel the warmth and softness of your bed.
As you do this experiment, notice the effect it has on your day (and night).
Over the next week, please select at least one activity or task (feel free to do this with as many as you like) and then make a commitment to engage fully with it, just to be mindful of the effect this has. You are welcome to share what you discover here in the online network. You may also like to include your activity or task as an entry in your mindfulness journal.
© Monash University, 2016
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Here's the bracelet I bought as a mindfulness reminder. Each time I look at it, I reminder the May you be Mindful challenge.How have you been going with the Challenge?
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