Tips to introduce mindfulness in your daily routine

Being an expert in the discipline that everyone talks about is as easy (and as difficult) as learning to connect with our present.

Mindfulness, is defined as the intentional attention to our actions in order to connect our body with the present without judging it. But…how do we make this connection with ourselves in the middle of a busy life? Not only is it not that difficult, but it is something that we are all capable of doing, because we can carry it out while doing our daily tasks.

Types of mindfulness

To begin, we must learn to differentiate between the of formal and informal way of mindfulness. In the formal way, we surrender ourselves to the stillness of physical form. That is, we sit or lie down for a few minutes and observe our interior. We let thoughts and emotions pass in front of our eyes and do not interact with them. It is the process of accepting the reality that everything is impermanent, in order to assess the presence, the current moment. Because the magic is neither in the past, nor in the future, but in the now.

In informal way, we try to be present during our daily lives. It consists in continuing to perform our usual tasks, being aware that we are doing them. An example would be when we are eating. The next time you eat be well aware of every movement of your body, of each bite, of the taste of each piece of food, of how it goes down to carry out the digestion process, of the sound of cutlery against food and plate, etc.

In short, it consists in living the present without filling it with mental noise, self-criticism and anxiety.

How to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine

Next, we will see some simple exercises that you can carry out to connect with your present and with your body without skipping anything on your agenda.

When you wake up, don’t just listen to the alarm clock, sulk and jump out of bed. Try to connect with your body, stretch, notice how each muscle appreciates your gesture. Ask yourself if you have rested well and, if not, think about what you can change the next night to sleep better. Feel how a new day begins before launching into it with all your security and your desire.

One of the best moments to practice mindfulness is during the shower. Try to feel how the water runs through your hair, your body and finally reaches your feet. Feel the clean fragrance of soap or shampoo and the touch of the sponge. The difference between showering like this and showering thinking about problems you will deal with during the day is enormous.

When breakfast time comes, matcha is the best ally to have a few minutes of mindfulness at home. Pour one gram into your favorite cup or bowl and see how the matcha’s green color contrasts with the ceramic. Pour the liquid with which you are going to mix it and enjoy the impact against the cup. When you are beating it, either with the bamboo whisk or with the electric frother, let yourself be carried away by the movement. When you finish preparing it, taste it.

If you perform these three little rituals of mindfulness before leaving home, you will notice how your connection with the present and with your well-being increases and you will feel automatic benefits in your physical and mental health.

When leaving home, if you have the opportunity to walk, even if it is a little, do it. Focus your attention on your breathing, your posture and your movements and how moving your body a little makes you feel better.

Like any practice that involves self-knowledge, mindfulness is not perfected in a day. Integrate it little by little into your daily life and you will see how it becomes a lifestyle.