5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness Without Going to a Buddhist Monastery

Hearing the word “mindfulness,” many imagine a person who has already drunk an avocado smoothie and is now meeting the dawn on a deserted beach somewhere in Cambodia. A calm, soulful face, white clothes, complete detachment from the world and no significant problems. Because of this image, it seems to us that awareness is difficult and expensive. But this is not the case.

To be aware means to live the current moment without judgment, to be 100% present in it and to give up automatic reactions, thoughts, feelings and actions.

If you are aware, you know what is happening to you right now, what you feel, what you want, where and why you are going. Before you do or say something, you can analyze the situation and look at it from several angles.

And in order to develop this ability in oneself, it is not necessary to go somewhere or spend a lot of money. Here are some of the methods available for every day.

1. Eat without a phone

Every third American uses a smartphone while eating, and the statistics for Russia are unlikely to be very different from these data. While we are looking at the screen, we do not really feel the taste of food, we do not understand what we are putting in our mouth, and we only chew the food mechanically.

And it's not even that such an approach can lead to overeating. Scrolling through the feed, reading the news and putting likes, we seem to run away from the current moment, we are not present in it. And as a result, we lose awareness.

Try giving up your smartphone at least once a day while eating. And also from books, TV series, newspapers, tablets and other tools of escape from reality. And try to keep your meal at least 10 minutes long. Do not hurry. Chew your food slowly, analyze what ingredients your lunch is made from, listen to the sensations it makes you, track when you feel full.

2. Don't order food

Over the past decades, we have changed our eating habits a lot. For example, now you do not need to stand at the stove for hours or set the table according to all the rules. You can buy ready-made food and swallow it on the run. On the one hand, it is convenient. On the other hand, we are chasing only the result (saturation) and depriving ourselves of the opportunity to feel the process.

Start cooking yourself. And no, it's not about throwing pasta and a couple of sausages into the pan. Pick an interesting recipe once a week or two, shop for the ingredients, and get started cooking.

The cooking process can be very meditative: it requires total involvement and high concentration.

It also pampers our senses with a wide variety of sounds, smells, tastes and sensations. Listen to the vegetables sizzle in a frying pan, inhale the hot aromatic steam, watch the pie crust gilded in the oven. This will allow you to focus on the present moment and experience it to its fullest.

3. Write

There are many writing practices that can help you understand yourself and learn to be in the moment. Here is some of them:

Classic diary. Write down in the evening what happened to you during the day, what feelings you experienced, what you thought. Analyze why you did something and note what made you sad, happy, angry, or excited.
Freewriting. You just take a piece of paper and write whatever comes into your head right now. You record every emotion, any, even the most stupid or scary thoughts. To overcome internal resistance, freewriting experts advise using a timer. Put it, for example, for 15 minutes and write until the time runs out.
A gratitude diary and a success diary. They will teach you to be attentive and notice even minor events or impressions. The essence is very simple: you write to whom and for what you can say thank you today. Any options: from a loved one to a casual passer-by who cheered you up with a cheerful inscription on a T-shirt. Or celebrate achievements that you can praise yourself for - anything, even those that seem tiny.

4. Meditate

One can talk for a long time about the benefits of meditation. It not only increases awareness, but also helps to improve sleep, cope with anxiety, lower blood pressure, improve attention and memory. And this is just a small part of the positive effects.

To many, meditation seems difficult and sometimes even scary. Some think that this is a secret knowledge that is revealed only to a select few. Others are sure that meditation takes a very long time to learn and it just won't work. Still others believe that this is an exclusively religious or even sectarian practice. If you think so, try mindfulness meditation.

Choose a quiet, calm place, sit upright - on the edge of a chair or on the floor with your legs crossed in a Turkish fashion.
Close your eyes, put your hands on your knees, take a few deep breaths. Begin to slowly “scan” the sensations in your body, from the crown of your head to your toes.
Listen to each part of the body, catch the sensations that arise there: blood pulsation, warmth, discomfort, or, conversely, relaxation.
Then move on to observing your breath. Breathe in a rhythm that is comfortable for you, trying to be aware of every inhalation and exhalation - how air enters and leaves your airways, how your chest expands and falls, and your body sways.
If some thoughts and experiences try to distract you (and they try, thoughts cannot be stopped), try to observe them, as you observe the clouds in the sky or the cars passing by you. Consider them and let them fly on without dragging you along.
If a thought still lingers, remember that there is nothing to worry about. Go back to observing your breath.
Continue meditation as long as you like.

If you don't have time at all, you can do mini-meditations for yourself during the day. Just put it aside for a couple of minutes, close your eyes and look inside yourself. Ask yourself what you are feeling right now, what sensations you are experiencing in your body, what thoughts are rushing through your head. Realize yourself here and now and again plunge into the turbulent stream of life.

5. Find a quiet hobby

Practicing measured thoughtfulness helps you focus on the moment, build concentration, and relax. Here's what you can try:

Gardening. And for this it is not necessary to buy a house with a plot. A small garden can be arranged right on your balcony. Or you can even collect and arrange a beautiful florarium - a miniature garden in an aquarium, jar, bottle or other container.
Needlework. This can be crocheting and knitting, embroidery, making soft toys, felting from wool, patchwork, and so on. Such activities not only train mindfulness, but also soothe. And you will also have a ready-made hat, blanket or toy.
Clay crafting. Ceramists (both professionals and amateurs) often say that working with clay is very meditative. It's worth starting - and you will completely immerse yourself in the process and focus on your feelings and how the material under your fingers changes. Try sculpting at home with self-hardening clay, or sign up for a ceramics studio where you can fire and glaze your craft.
Creation of thumbnails. For example, making small houses and rooms. You will need to come up with a design, pick up materials, cut, shave, mold and paint many small objects and details. The work is painstaking and definitely teaches to be "here and now".
Drawing or calligraphy. You will pump not only awareness, but also the eye, the sense of color and fine motor skills. The main thing (as in all the previous paragraphs) is to fully focus on the process. And do not include TV series, podcasts or audiobooks in the background.

You can think of something else to do. The main thing is that you can do it slowly, directing all your attention to what you are doing.