If you’ve heard or read about mindfulness exercises—also known as mindfulness meditation—you may be curious about how to practice mindfulness exercises and how they can be incredibly simple to incorporate into your daily routine. No matter what your age.
With a little forethought, simple mindfulness exercises can be a good approach. In the meantime, one can choose to practice the systematic mindfulness meditation techniques described here early in the morning before starting your routine.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a type of meditation, which is a state of focused awareness in the present moment and keeping your mind away from both the future and the past. The practice of mindfulness generally involves removing the mind from external obstructions and focusing it on a single point. It incorporates breathing techniques to help reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Simply put, when thoughts and feelings come into your mind, but you allow them to pass through your mind without getting carried away with them, you are in a state of mindfulness.
When we practice mindfulness exercises, our thoughts focus on what we feel in the present moment rather than on replaying the past or imagining the future.
Mindfulness exercises can vary, but in general, mindfulness meditation includes breathing exercises, mental imagery, body and mental awareness, and muscle and body tension.
What are the Benefits of Mindfulness Exercises?
Several clinical trials have shown the physical-mental benefits of practicing mindfulness exercises. Overall evidence supports the effectiveness of mindfulness exercises for a variety of conditions, including:
- Thoughts calms down
- Negativity goes away
- Removes stress, tension, restlessness
- Maintains blood pressure
- Chronic pain heals
- Concentration increases
- Improve sleep
- Better immunity
- Emotions become easier to control
Mindfulness Exercises and Their Benefits
There are many simple ways to practice mindfulness exercises. You may try more structured, here we explain 3 mindfulness exercises you can do anywhere, and look how they might benefit you:
Body Scan Mindfulness Exercise
This is a method of mindfulness exercise, in which you examine your entire body and focus on the part of the body that is in pain or discomfort to help in a better flow of energy.
Start Body Scan Meditation comfortably.
- Lay or sit in a situation so that you can easily pull your organs.
- Close your eyes and start focusing on your breath.
- Focus on the feeling of breathing and breathing your breath while leaving and breathing.
- Left hand, left leg, right hand, right leg, above your head. Focus on that place when you continue to breathe slowly and deep.
- Create yourself aware of pain, stress, restlessness, or anything out of normal.
- Be slow and stay an overview for 20 seconds to 1 minute.
- If you feel frustrated and angry, do not consider yourself for these feelings. Notify them and let them pass.
- Continue to breathe, imagine the pain and stress with each breath.
- Leave your mental awareness on such a specific part of your body slowly and focus it on your next area.
A regular body scan practice just before bedtime can be especially helpful in relieving insomnia. In fact, when we feel anxious or stressed, many people have difficulty sleeping comfortably. Then this meditation can help you relax and let go of disturbing thoughts and feel overall calmer.
Sitting Mindfulness Exercise
There are many situations to do meditation while sitting in meditation. Just as a person feels comfortable in Vajrasana, then someone is able to apply Padmasana, then someone bends his legs and sits in cross legged. You can choose the comfortable position for you as per your wish.
Start Mindfulness Sitting Meditation Comfortably.
- Sit in Sukhasana or Padmasana by laying a blanket or a woolen seat on the ground. If you have trouble sitting on the ground, you can also sit on a chair.
- Keep in mind that the back of the chair is straight so that your backbone remains straight and your feet feel flat on the ground.
- Eyes closed or half-open. The back should be straight, sit comfortably with your hands on your lap.
- Doing pranayama at the beginning of sitting mindfulness meditation or taking long breaths slowly through your nose for a while and exhaling slowly increases the amount of oxygen in the mind and body. This activates the mind and it is possible to control thoughts.
- It is said in mindfulness techniques that stop the movement of thoughts, and try to be free from thoughts. Concentrate on the breath going in and out of your body.
- For this, when thoughts come to your mind, let them come and go, do not get lost or entangled in them. Just watch the flow of thoughts like a spectator. Do not give speed to an idea by holding it.
- Due to this gradually the speed of thought will slow down and fewer thoughts will come. Turn your attention to your breath.
- This is the way to go deep into sitting mindfulness. So keep trying with patience, dedication, and positive thinking.
If you want to live a stress-free life, then you must include mindfulness sitting exercises in your daily routine. Because it lowers your stress level and gives rest to your mind.
Mindfulness sitting exercise relieves problems like anxiety, depression, etc. Along with this, meditation is one whose regular practice will reduce anxiety disorder.
Walking Mindfulness
By the way, walking mindfulness is nothing but exercise done while walking. It’s very easy to do. The special thing about this mindfulness exercise is that it is usually done at a slower pace than regular walking.
Whenever you walk at any point or direction during the day, bring your mind to the present moment. Try focusing on the sounds around you, your breath, or any physical sensations.
Start Walking Mindfulness Meditation comfortably.
First of all, choose a quiet place to do walking meditation. Choose a place where there is peace and no one can interfere with your walking meditation. A 10 to 20 feet long space should be such that you can walk straight.
- Take a deep breath and walk very slowly for 10-20 steps.
- After walking 10-20 steps, take deep breaths as much as possible.
- When you reach the end of your path, turn and start walking slowly again.
- After returning to the original position, take a deep breath again and release for as long as possible.
- Take each step slowly while meditating. Take a deep breath and walk slowly. What we are doing needs to be deeply experienced. For this the rhythm of the steps, turning, inhaling, exhaling, you have to experience every process.
- During this, if any external thoughts are coming in your mind, do not pay attention at all.
However, it is quite different from the sitting Mindfulness Meditation. This Mindfulness Exercises is a good option for those who prefer to walk rather than sit and contemplate.
Conclusion
It is helpful in bringing peace to the mind as well as bringing concentration in the mind.
During this you can also chant Om. You will find much peace and happiness. By doing walking meditation, your stamina remains for a long time. Along with this, physical strength also increases. Alternatively, meditating while walking has been shown to greatly improve health. Mindful walking is also a great way to promote blood circulation and increase your energy levels.
