Mindfulness and Yoga are gaining more and more popularity by the day and rightly so. In this day and age, we are constantly bombarded with incessant information that it is very easy to forget things that truly matter to us and let go of things that do not serve us. The reason being – that there is so much information which is fighting to grab our attention that we are totally in a thought mess most times, if not at all times. Traumas of the past, anxieties of the future…Let alone getting over the fluctuation of the mind, is it even possible to concentrate on reading something or watching something for more than a minute without being distracted these days?
How do you know if you need mindfulness?
• If you keep forgetting things that are important to you or if you keep procrastinating important tasks. • Some people forget eating food or drinking water. Others unconsciously suppress their natural urges. • Unable to do the right things despite knowing that it is the right thing you do. • If you have constant stress/ anxiety/ panic/ paranoia and you cannot understand why.
How can Mindfulness help us?
Mindfulness can help us be more grounded and make us pay attention to the things that deserve our attention.
It helps us restrict our senses and point them inward. This helps our minds to be stable. This helps to condition our minds to focus on the desired goal.
Mindfulness can also help to concentrate on a single aim, goal, or object. This works like goal-setting and steers the mind in one direction.
It helps us to focus on this object for long periods of time, this helps in developing the consistency which can help us work continuously towards the thing that is required. It is said that to excel at a particular thing, you need to devote 10000 hours. Mindfulness will help in achieving that 10000 hours very easily.
Even if we are unable to achieve the complete cessation of the thoughts, we will at least be able to lower down the speed and rate of thoughts and will be able to overcome the negativities which block our mind.
Mindfulness helps us get off the information overload, makes space to think about things that truly matter to us.
How to begin your mindfulness practice?
Some steps to begin your mindfulness practice. Note: Please do not overwhelm yourself with a lot of details. Pick one that suits you the most.
Start with 10 min, gradually increase to 20 min and more as per your comfort.
Some pointers:
Start observing the natural course of your breath. Just be aware of your breathing, do not try and exercise breath control which is something we do as pranayama.
Follow the path your breath traverses. Gradually move your awareness to localised muscles and respiratory organs being used while breathing.
Observe the length of your inhalation and exhalation.
Be aware of the effect of breathing on your heartbeat. Example: When we inhale heartbeat is slower and when we exhale it is faster.
Feel the speed and pressure of the air while inhalation/ exhalation.
Be aware of the number of breaths per minute.
Check the pattern of your breathing – is it even? uneven? Are you able to breathe easily or is it laboured?
Other methods
Generally, it is easier for people who are older to pick up the practice effortlessly as they do not have as much digital load and distraction as the younger generation. Some tips which may help greatly
Be completely present in whatever it is you are doing.
focus on every muscle bone and sensory stimulus and response with every body movement.
do not multitask – focus on the one thing that you need to do right now, and put all your concentration and energy into it.
Be mindful when you are eating, just concentrate on the food and chewing, etc
Be mindful when you brush your teeth. Completely focus on brushing each teeth and scraping the tongue.
While washing utensils – observe the speed of the water, how much pressure you are applying to remove the leftover stuck food on the utensil etc
Even when you are working on the computer, try and keep only the main tabs open and observe your posture
Cooking be completely focused on cutting vegetables and preparing the meal
Observe the sounds. Start with the most distant sounds and just hear without judgment or preference. Focus on one sound at a time, when that fades, focus on another sound.
Observing thoughts or feelings without judgment or participating in the thought. The mind is also like a muscle, the more we train it, gradually, the better it will get.
To learn Yoga and Mindfulness from me, DM priyamvadamangal or mail priyamvadayog@gmail.com! Online classes open for everyone, everywhere.
Commentaires