How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness is allowing yourself to be fully present—not in the past or looking to the future. Mindfulness is an art form that you need to practice often to get the most benefit.

When you learn to bring awareness to your thoughts, emotions, and senses, then you’re practicing mindfulness.

What about mindfulness meditation? Mindfulness is a form of meditation, so when you practice mindfulness meditation, you sit quietly, focus on your breathing, and try to quiet the mind and relax the body. The important thing to do is not judge yourself because your mind will wander off. Still, with practice, you can concentrate on your breath or even imagery to bring yourself into peaceful relaxation and, with practice, higher consciousness.

Practicing mindfulness can help to reduce stress, increase attention, and even regulate emotions.  If you’re wondering how to practice mindfulness meditation, you’re in luck. This article will cover the basics so you can learn to practice it yourself.

How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Let’s break down a simple method of practicing mindfulness meditation.

• Get comfortable: Lay down or sit in a comfortable position.
• Close your eyes: You can close your eyes or lower your gaze if you feel more comfortable with your eyes open
• Be mindful of your body: Do a body scan, and you can start with your feet and work your way up, relaxing the muscles in each body part until you get from your toes to your forehead.
• Begin to focus on your breath: You can try to elongate your inhales and exhales, practice counting your breaths, or even say a mantra that resonates with you while you breathe.
• Witness your thoughts: Notice where your thoughts go and simply acknowledge them. Try not to judge your thoughts.
• Return your focus to your breath: Your mind is going to send thoughts your way but return your focus to your breath no matter how many times and remember, don’t judge your thoughts, or get upset.
• When you feel finished, open your eyes: After a few minutes or more, you can stop when you feel like the time is right. If your eyes are closed, open them, or lift your gaze and bat your eyes.
• Notice how you feel: Notice how you feel after you finish. Are you more relaxed? Do you feel any stress? What type of thoughts arise, if any?

That’s all you have to do. There are many ways to make it your own, though. You can choose to do guided meditations or turn on some soothing music while you meditate. The main thing to remember is that practicing mindfulness gets easier if you get into a daily habit. You don’t have to meditate to practice mindfulness, either.

Let’s look at ways you can practice mindfulness in your everyday life.

Other Ways to Practice Mindfulness

You can begin to practice mindfulness throughout your daily life as well. Anytime during the day that you can carve out a few minutes for yourself or when you’re alone, you can practice it.

Some ways to practice mindfulness in your daily life include the following:

• Driving
• Doing household chores
• Eating
• Exercising
• Practicing breathing exercises
• Coloring in an adult coloring book
• Journaling

If you learn to be present while you do these everyday things, you can practice mindfulness. For example, when driving, you can turn on soothing music that makes you feel good. Or, when you eat, you can chew your food slowly and notice the notes of what’s in each bite. You can focus on the texture of the food and imagine your body absorbing nutrients while you eat.

Become a Recovery Coach Today

Mindfulness is beneficial for many people to help reduce stress and feel better. People who are living in recovery from addiction can benefit immensely from practicing mindfulness. Recovery coaches are people who can teach mindfulness techniques to someone who is having difficulty with addiction.

Suppose you have the desire to help people who struggle with addiction and want to become a recovery coach. In that case, The Addictions Academy can help you reach that dream. Our certified recovery coach program will teach you everything that you need to know to help your clients achieve the lives they deserve to have. Reach out today to begin your recovery coach certification course.