5 Steps to Mindfulness: How to be Mindful in Every Day Life

With our lives busier and more pressure-driven thanever, we can often forget what it means to be truly in touch with ourselves. Andwhilst the concept of mindfulness and meditation can be overwhelming to some, onceyou’ve mastered the art, your day can go from drab to fab without so much as ayoga class in sight.

Mindfulness. Simply put, it is thepractice of being present in the moment. Which is easier said than done, right?

So, to help you achieve a more mindful state, we caughtup with meditation teacher and co-founder of 1 Giant Mind, Jonni Pollard, totake us through his 10-minute mindful mantra. In just five simple steps, Jonniwill guide you through to mindful greatness, to ensure your day is productive,successful and entirely stress-free.

Follow this simple guide to incorporate more mindfulnessinto your day.

Jonni Pollard’s 10-Minute Mindfulness Practice

To establish present awareness in our normal state, we must first understand what causes us to not be present. This simplest answer is having too much stimulation, also referred to as stress.

Mindfulness is the practice of learning how to get comfortable with the discomfort of feeling too much stress, whilst also feeling vulnerable enough to let go of the need to defend and control everything. Practicing mindfulness helps to channel these discomforting thoughts and energies in a positive way.   

There are many different practices that help to increase mindfulness. Here are five steps you can practice for 10 minutes a day also using the breath, which will assist in creating momentum for greater present moment awareness and general wellbeing.

Mindfulness Tip 1: Stop and Reconnect

When you notice yourself overwhelmed, choose to stop whatever you are doing in that moment to reconnect with yourself.

Mindfulness Tip 2: Stop the Blame Game

In whatever way you can, take as much responsibility for the experience you are having. Taking responsibility for your experience means you are back in the power position to do something about it. When we blame someone or something else, we remain at the whim of others to experience greater wellbeing.

Mindfulness Tip 3: Practice with Intention

Find a place to sit uninterrupted and connect with asteady, even, deliberate flow of breath. Breathe in through the nose, drawingbreath first into the stomach and then all the way up into the chest, taking 10seconds, and then exhaling for 10 seconds. 10 steady inhales and exhalesquickly takes us out of the sympathetic nervous system and into the parasympatheticnervous system, restoring and connecting us to the present moment. 

Mindfulness Tip 4: Notice the Power of Your Practice

With every out breath, observe how thebody begins to settle. Notice how the mind beings to settle as well.

Mindfulness Tip 5: Make it a Daily Habit

Practice this for 10 minutes a day and watch howquickly your attention will become more present and you become less reactive tochallenges and demands.

Long-term Mindfulness Goals

It’s important to note that mindfulness needs to be a long-term game plan, in order to truly experience its incredible benefits. To really get the most from a mindfulness practice, I recommend learning meditation with the free 1 Giant Mind app taught by certified 1 Giant Mind teachers. It will teach you an elegant technique that supports you to make meditation a daily habit.

Get a few friends together to support each other in this challenge. You will find it to be the most rewarding thing to do on a day-to-day basis. Taking some time out each day to reset our nervous systems to be present is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and others. 

Loving our guide to mindfulness and looking for more wellness inspiration?  Be sure to check out our favourite free meditation apps that will help you achieve your zen in no time!