Simple Mindfulness in 3-Minutes

Mindfulness, in the beginning, is about getting out of the whizzing thoughts in your head and getting grounded in the present moment with your body. It is something you can learn because it is simply a case of practice and this blog will introduce you to this.

 

 

A simple 3-minute exercise

If you are sitting reading this blog try to notice the sensations of sitting. Feel, for example, your feet touching the ground. Then notice the weight of your body going through your sitting bone that gives the sensation of sitting.

Pause with this.

Maybe now notice what your arms are doing and your hands; are they resting on a table or on your lap?

Just notice and feel them.

Maybe now try to notice the effects of your breath on your torso. Maybe you can feel the torso moving up and down with the in and outs of breathing. Perhaps, you can notice your abdomen rise and fall with the breath.

Stay with your breath for a bit.

As you start to become mindful of your body you may notice you drift off into thoughts; that is ok. Just notice this quality of the mind and return to being aware of your body, perhaps a specific part like the breath or sensation of your hands touching.

Keep it simple

One of the biggest problems of any mindfulness practice is expecting something to happen. This often comes from a thought pattern that can develop in a meditator. I've had it a lot and it is something I have to keep in check as it can lead to disappointment when nothing does, or this expectation can lead to attachment to thinking something special or amazing has happened thus deluding oneself.

 

Be a beginner always

Looking for results with mindfulness can be a hindrance to real peace. The solution is simple, let go of those thoughts and come back to the body. Don't feed energy into indulging the grasping mind and the thought processes that come with this, and, instead, just go back to the breath.

If you'd like to listen to the audio version of this 3-minute mindfulness exercise then, here it is:

 

In the next couple of blog posts, we're be looking at some basic mindfulness meditation, part one being on the breath and part two on the body scan (including more guided meditations for you to try).

Then we're be moving on to a lovely topic: mindfulness of the four postures that is good for, well complete beginners, and for someone with 20+ years experience - good for me then as well!!

 

How did you get on?

How did you get on the 3-minute mindfulness exercise? Did you encounter any difficulties or did you find it plain sailing? Perhaps your comments will spark a nice conversation and help clarify any difficulties others encountered, so it would be nice to hear from you.

Establish Mindfulness: image
About Paul

Paul has been practising mindfulness since 1997, but still has a "beginner's mind" approach to meditation. He is the author of the eBook series The Silence Between the Noise and primary contributor to the Establish Mindfulness online meditation centre.