Life moves fast. You’ve got dreams to fulfil and goals to accomplish which is a good thing. But sometimes the endless seeking of more can feel overwhelming especially when you feel that you’re not doing good enough. In those moments, I find refuge in two things: nature and mindfulness.
Nature reminds me to trust the pace of life. The tree does not rush to grow, yet it stands tall and strong. The river does not force its flow, yet it carves its path and reaches the ocean. A flower always blooms when the time is right and when the season call for it. It provides a quiet assurance everything unfolds in its own time.
And, mindfulness teaches me to be where I am, in the here and now. It helps me notice the world around me, to let go of the pressure to be more and instead, be here.
What is mindfulness?
I reread the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse last month and it felt like I was in need of the profound lessons. Siddhartha walked many paths in his life and he spent years searching for an answer, for wisdom. It was by the river that he learned the profound life lessons. He understood that peace was never in the seeking. It was in the being. In presence.
This is mindfulness. To sit with this moment, just as it is.
No, you don’t have to leave everything behind and disappear into the forest to find mindfulness.
Mindfulness is found here in your everyday moments. You can add mindfulness into your busy life in tiny ways.
When you drink tea, only drink tea. Feel the warmth of the cup, taste the bitterness, the sweetness. Do not let your mind wander to worries or plans. Simply be with the tea.
Mindfulness is not something to achieve. It is not something you add to your life. It is the act of living fully in what is already here.
Small Ways to Add Mindfulness into Your Everyday Moments
You don’t need long meditation sessions or big lifestyle changes in order to practise mindfulness.
All you need is small, intentional steps to bring more presence into your day.
Here, I’ve put together a list of simple mindfulness tips to make it easier for you to embrace mindful living.
1 Wake up gently and take three deep breaths before you step your foot on the floor.
2. Brush your teeth mindfully. Notice the sensation of the bristles and the taste of toothpaste.
3. Wrap your hands around your cup as you drink your morning coffee or tea. Take the first sip with full attention.
4. Take a pause and a deep breath before you unlock your phone.
5. Light a candle or diya and watch the flickering flame. Lighting the diya is my non negotiable morning ritual.
6. Simply smile at the present moment even if it is ordinary and mundane.
7. Walk barefoot on grass or a soft surface.
8. Take a deep breath before you begin your day’s work.
9. When you feel overwhelmed, focus on one sound to anchor yourself to the present moment.
10. Challenge yourself to focus on just one single task for 60 seconds like reading or chanting or walking.
11. Before you eat, take a minute to appreciate the food on your plate., its colours, its aroma.
12. When you feel rushed, mentally thank any one thing (your car, your job, your chair, your hands).
13. During chaotic moments, silently repeat a word or a phrase like a mantra. Example: peace, let go, it’s okay. I simply chant Om Shanti to ground myself during chaotic moments.
14. Feel the rhythm of the footsteps as you walk.
15. Instead of rushing from one task to another, take mindful pauses.
16. Engage fully in your everyday tasks. When you sweep, only sweep. When you read, only read.
17. Actively listen when someone is speaking. Give your undivided attention and truly listen.
18. Take a glance outside the window and notice one detail like a cloud or a sleeping cat.
19. Before you add tasks to your to-do list ask yourself, “Is this urgent?”
20. Listen to the hum of appliances around you.
21. Feel the warmth of sun on your face.
22. Lie on the grass and watch the sky. It was easier as a child to simply spend time gazing at the changing shapes of the clouds.
23. Look in the mirror and soften your gaze for a moment to appreciate yourself.
24. Apply your face cream gently and slowly, noticing the sensation on your skin.
25. Notice how your body feels after a round of exercise. Say Thank You to yourself for choosing to move your body.
26. Water the plant’s leaves with full attention and feel the texture of the leaves as you do so.
27. Before you go to bed write a single sentence about your day. You can maintain a gratitude journal as well.
28. Close your eyes while listening to music. It’s more enjoyable.
29. Gently name what you are feeling. It’s a mindfulness practice to acknowledge your feelings rather than resisting it. This is worry. This is fear. This is okay. This will pass.
30. Practise the visualisation practice of letting go of leaves on a stream. This helps you from detaching from negative thinking habits. Each time a thought arises, place it on a leaf and let it drift away.
31. Set an intention for the day. Today I choose to speak to myself with love and patience. I will take one small step towards my goal today.
32. Celebrate small moments of joy- having your favourite ice cream, a gentle breeze on a hot and humid day, a compliment, watching your pets play.
33. Allow yourself to do nothing without feeling guilty. Be bored without trying to be productive.
34. Turn your mundane tasks into everyday rituals. Before starting work, you can add a little ritual of lighting an incense to mark the transition to focus mode.
35. Gaze at the stars for a while. You’ll realize how small your worries are in comparison to the vast universe.
36. Practise gratitude for ordinary things in your daily life. The clean water to drink. Your knees. Your mailman. The Sun for showing up everyday. The various music artists for creating incredible work. Your writer for writing your favourite book.
37. Smile to yourself without any reason.
38. Let your eyes rest on the horizon for a few minutes. Let your gaze expand to farther sights instead of just digital screens and closed spaces.
39. Run your hands through the pages of a book before you read it.
40. Leave a few seconds of silence before responding to a conversation.
41. Observe the tiny details of a flower, its petals, its stem.
42. Watch the birds return back to their nest in the evening.
43. Let yourself be fascinated by something small. It may be the vibrant colour of the watermelon, or the touch me not plant.
44. Gaze at the moon and think about how many others are looking at it too.
45. Play a simple melody on your musical instrument.
46. Step outside, close your eyes, and feel the air on your skin.
47. Relax all your muscles whenever you are waiting for something.
48. When you enter your home from somewhere, be grateful to be back. Be grateful because you are returning to your loved ones, or your furry friends who was eagerly waiting for you to arrive.
49. Whether you are watching something on the TV or your phone, be fully aware and present instead of mindlessly scrolling.
50. As you lay down to sleep, inhale peace and exhale stress. You can picture your worries dissolving into air.
Mindfulness vs Mindlessness
We spend so much of our lives moving between mindfulness and mindlessness. Between presence and between autopilot.
I know what it’s like to get lost in distraction, to reach for my phone without thinking, to arrive somewhere and barely remember the journey. Mindlessness sneaks in so easily. But mindfulness simply asks me to wake up.
For me, mindfulness is not about changing the life I have, it’s about fully living the life I already have, however mundane or ordinary it may seem.
I’ve also known mindlessness. We all do actually.
Mindless scrolling, reading the same page again and again without attention, entering the kitchen only to forget why I was there in the first place.
Mindlessness is moving through life without really being in it. It’s eating without tasting, hearing without listening, living without noticing.
Mindfulness is not something you perfect. It’s something you return to, again and again. It’s a choice you make.
Even now, take a breath. Notice the weight of your body in your seat, the sounds around you, the movement of air in and out of your lungs. And just like that, you are here again.
Maybe you can take another breath. Just one. Feel it fully.
And for a moment, just this moment, be here.
You might like:
- 50 Mindfulness Quotes to Help You Slow Down and Breathe
- How to Protect Your Peace for your Wellbeing
- 10 Things to do to Create a Cozy Life You Will Love
