Through out the day our attention is fixated on the thought train that keeps running in the back of our minds. And in between, just like the gaps between coaches of a train, we experience the moments of thoughtlessness. In these moments, we experience a blissful state where our mental capacities are at their prime. But in today's times we humans have stopped noticing these gaps more and more. This means that we’ve stopped living in the present, and it is a major cause for our miseries and mental distress.
To train a mind that clings to the past and future is a complex job. It’s difficult in the beginning and as as you start gaining mindfulness, it becomes easier to gain more mindfulness. But with these simple hacks you can get started on the road to mindfulness with ease.
Wake up with the awareness of your body
When you wake up, instead of jumping out of the bed straight away, just stay on it and get aware of your body. Close your eyes and focus your attention towards each part of your body from bottom to top and finally on your whole body.
Brush with the wrong hand.
We humans are slaves of our habits and we like to program ourselves to do things so that we can fly freely in land of our thoughts. To get out of this vicious circle of thought very early in your day, what you can do is brush your teeth with the wrong hand, so if you’re right handed then do it with left and vice-versa. This will not just help you be more mindful but also benefit your brain.
Tea Meditation
Buddhist monks have a form of meditation that involves a tea ceremony, in which monks devote utmost concentration to every aspect of the tea. So instead of checking your phone or reading the news paper first thing in the morning, listen to the sound of your coffee maker or kettle. Se how your tea/coffee changes colour on adding milk, feel the warmth of your mug and finally study the taste in measured sips.
Watch your hands.
Even after starting your day with above hacks, you’ll find yourself boarding the thought train throughout the day. One very simple trick to stop doing it is watching your hands. Yes, make a habit of watching your palms, this will really help you come back to the present moment. If you manage to do it once every hour, it will tremendously help you in staying mindful.
Experience your breath
Another effective trick to apply when you find yourself drifting with your thoughts is to observe your breath. Feel your breath as you breathe in and breathe out. Just do this for 5 minutes and see your concentration levels rise immediately.
Listen to the sounds
This is one of the most effective way to gain back your mindfulness. Just listen to the sounds of things around you. It could be the sounds of nature, like of birds, of the wind or even the sound of a fan or a elevator. Just listen to it, without any judgements.
If you’re interested to take it to the next level, then I will strongly suggest that you read The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle. It is a very effective book that can sooth any mental distress you may have.
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Nice post, going to use my left hand to brush, let's see how it goes.
thanks, would love to hear your feedback on its effects.
it's really just stopping to be fully aware of anything you are doing, i squeeze a bit of mindfulness in where ever I can, washing the dishes, walking to the schoo you really don't have to change any habits at all just keep pulling your mind back to the task at hand and truly experiance it.
yes it's great if you can manage to stop and be in the moment, but for some people it's difficult to do so as they have a habit of being inside their heads. that's when on needs to inculcate habits discussed