About Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness is a way to think of only the current moment and not become overwhelmed with thoughts of the past or future.
In mindfulness thinking, you are thinking and becoming aware of your thoughts and feelings of just what is happening right now.
It is an excellent way to start reducing your stress and anxiety, but can also be used for many other aspects in your life, from weight loss to making you more productive at work. You can also use mindfulness along with your meditation.
Reasons to Practice Mindfulness
It helps to understand exactly why you should consider practicing mindfulness. There are a long list of benefits, but let’s just talk about a few of them.
It helps with stress and depression – Your mental health is very important, and mindfulness can be a tremendous help. With mindfulness, you are only focusing on the present, so you aren’t constantly becoming sad or anxious over past or future events.
Mindfulness improves your focus – You will have better focus and concentration, and improved memory with regular mindfulness.
Your body reacts positively – There have also been studies to show that your body can fight off infection due to a boost in your immune system when you get into the practice of regular mindfulness.
How to do Mindfulness Meditation
You are now ready to start the practice of mindfulness meditation. To start with, you need to understand that this is not going to be perfected right away. Be self aware and understand that practice makes perfect. Nobody is going to do this perfectly the first time. Don’t let that keep you from trying it every day.
Focus on your breathing – As with any type of meditation, you want to start by focusing on your breathing. Do nothing but inhale in and exhale out. Start letting go of all your worries and thoughts every time you exhale a breath.
Think about your current state – Take a moment to think only of what is happening right now. Think about how you are learning meditation right here, right now. Don’t think about yesterday or a month ago or a year ago. Don’t think about what you will do next or plans you have for the future. Think about this moment in time only.
Envision each body part – If you are having trouble clearing your mind and thinking only about the present, you can try thinking about each body part. Concentrate and feel your fingers, arms, abdomen, back, shoulders, legs, and toes. Listen to your heartbeat and focus on the air exhaling out of your lungs.
Accept what is happening – A big part of mindfulness is not just being aware of the present, but accepting it. No matter what is happening, you have to be willing to accept it and learn to appreciate it.