Years ago, I purchased a book called Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I didn’t know it at the time, but the daily journaling of five things I was grateful for each day for a year was the start of my mindfulness journey. It sounds so simple, but gratitude is a hallmark of mindfulness. Even on our worst days, there are things to be thankful for in each of our lives. Taking the time to acknowledge this simple yet powerful fact is one of the easiest ways to enter into a mindfulness practice. Grab a notebook and challenge yourself to write down five things you are thankful for each day. Commit to the practice for a week. It doesn’t have to be anything big, in fact it may be something simple like a delicious, crisp apple, or a beautiful wildflower you noticed on the side of the road when you were stopped at a traffic light. Just write down five things each day that you acknowledged as positive before you go to bed each night. Feel gratitude for those five things, but beware--Gratitude is powerful. It changes the way you see the world.
The body of research on Mindfulness and the benefits to our health and well-being are impressive. Science has shown that Mindfulness can improve your blood pressure, life satisfaction and memory. It increases compassion towards others and helps in pain management. It improves efficiency in the work place and behaviors in students in schools. With so much positive publicity, why don’t more people try to begin a Mindfulness practice? In my experience, most people will tell you they don’t have time to meditate if you ask them about mindfulness. Well, Mindfulness Meditation is not the same as Mindfulness. Mindfulness Meditation involves quieting the mind and looking inwards at your feelings and emotions and accepting them as they are, without judgement, whereas Mindfulness is the act of being fully present in a specific moment. Personally, I found meditation very difficult initially, as my mind jumped around all over the place when I tried to focus and concentrate. I found short periods of mindfulness, like savoring a cup of tea, and gratitude journaling a much easier place to start. In working with others, I have found that most people agree that becoming mindful first sets you up for greater success when progressing to formal Mindfulness Meditation. Mindfulness changes your brain chemistry and the way you respond to stimulus which changes your behavior, which can make the act of meditation less challenging. So, how can you start a mindfulness practice if your days are swamped?
Every morning, can you find time to step outside and take just five deep breaths? Look around you while you are breathing. What do you notice? Can you see five things? Can you feel four things? Can you hear three things? Can you smell two things? Can you taste one thing? Mindfully noticing the information being sent to your brain from your senses is a great way of becoming fully present in the current moment. So often we go through the motions of our daily activities without stopping to experience the individual moments that make up each minute, each hour, and each day of our lives. We are preoccupied with things that have happened in our past, or are so worried about things that may happen in the future that we fail to experience NOW. Commit to five deep breaths and notice the 5-4-3-2-1 sensations your brain is receiving. Do that for a few days. Then maybe try to be mindful while you brush your teeth every evening, making sure you brush all the surfaces of your teeth and gums, paying attention to the circular motion of the brush on every tooth. You will be amazed at how two minutes of mindful tooth brushing can ground you. And your dentist will be thrilled with the results of your conscientious tooth brushing!
Over time, by adding moments of mindfulness into your day, you will discover it doesn’t take any more time to be mindful. It becomes a shift of focus while you go about your daily routine. The experience of driving somewhere, and not remembering a thing about the drive, will cease, because your thoughts will be in the present moment, on driving. You will begin to learn to curtail the flight of ideas and worries in your brain by simply taking 5 deep breaths. You will start to savor individual moments of your day, like a sunset, and you will begin to appreciate your meals more because you notice the food you are putting into your mouth (which is called Mindful Eating and is another topic altogether!).
Practicing gratitude journaling and mindfulness moments will change your thoughts, feelings and actions. This is a simple way to begin your journey to a calmer, less reactive and healthier you! Namaste
Carrie Burger, DPT, is a physical therapist, certified yoga instructor, aquatic exercise instructor and a mindfulness meditation instructor. She enjoys working with people to relieve pain through movement and mindfulness practices. She is the proprietor of Carried Away Physical Therapy and Yoga, in Schwenksville, PA. Follow Carrie at xxxxxxxxxx
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