Yesterday
I attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition Conference in Sydney. We had
an array of wellness super stars that spoke and one in particular brought up
the importance of being mindful. I was really drawn to her talk, I already knew
what mindfulness meant, but as she spoke I realized that I was not
incorporating mindfulness in my day to day life and with the words flowing out
so effortlessly it hit me like a tone of bricks and so I wrote this down on my
note pad…
“
I choose to be in the moment NOW, I choose to be Mindful”
With
that intention I turned off my phone, I put my note pad and pen down, I took a
huge inhale and a super long exhale out and got comfy being in the present
moment where all I had to do was listen, open my heart to her words and just be
in the NOW.
5
Minutes of Mindfulness:
Do
you remember the last time you didn’t do anything for 5 minutes straight? I
mean nothing at all. No reading, no phone, no talking, no TV, no eating, no
drinking, no cleaning, nothing what so ever. Just being still, being in the
moment, being aware, observing your thoughts and feelings from a distance and
not judging them good or bad. Noticing how the body is feeling, feeling your
breathe in hale and exhale and connecting with our inner self.
5
minutes is not a long time, but for those of you who are constantly on the go,
who are addicted to the phone and who only switch of when its time for bed,
this may be a bit challenging.
I
want you to try it, take 5 minutes to do NOTHING. Just Pause, Breathe and Live
in the moment.
Mindfulness
is a Choice:
To
be mindful it is to be one with the universe, to open up your eyes a little
wider and see the beauty that surrounds you, to be living in the now, we give
our selves the freedom and let go of emotional baggage. But you have to first
choose to be mindful!!
Choose
to be mindful and you will over come and relieve depression, fears, blocks,
anxiety and limiting beliefs. Becoming aware helps you not to burn out, as you
start to decide whats important NOW.
For
example: “You jumped onto face book to update a status and little did you know
that 15-20 minutes has past and you are now scrolling through your feed and
looking blankly at a computer screen. This is an example of not being mindful,
however if you choose to take notice of what you are doing and decide to turn
off the computer and focus your attention on what needs to be done now or
simply just be here in the moment your mind will switch gears and you will feel
more clear minded”.
5
Ways to become more Mindful:
1. Take
a moment to notice your breath, inhale through the nose and exhale through the
mouth. Feel your belly rise and fall.
2. Take
notice of what you are doing in the moment. If you are eating, take notice of
your food. What is the colour? How does the first bite taste? Enjoy each
mouthful and notice how it is nourishing the body.
3. Recognise
that your thoughts are just simply thoughts; you do not need to react to them,
just let them be.
4. Next
time when you engage in a conversation simply listen to the person speaking
with out rehearsing what you will say next. Be an intentional listener.
5. When
commuting to work we often zone out and our brain decides to go numb. Instead
observe your surroundings, the people and what’s going on in that environment.
P
a u s e. B r e a t h e. L i v e.
Enjoy
being Mindful…
Nikki
x
