7 MINDFULNESS EXERCISES for Beginners

With the speed with which our society advances, it seems that people live immersed in a pilot automatic, without being aware of our most daily actions and generating high levels of anxiety and stress.

Therefore, the practice of mindfulness can be very useful in your life, since it has the objective of extending to the daily life of each one and therefore there are countless mindfulness exercises so that you can live each moment of your day to day with maximum fulfillment and deal with anxiety and release stress that may appear throughout the day. Mindfulness meditation has many benefits. If you wonder how can I start with this practice? Keep reading this Psychology-Online article where we propose you mindfulness exercises for beginners.

Index

1. What is mindfulness?
2. Mindfulness exercises for beginners
3. Static meditation
4. Attention to daily life
5. Walking meditation
6. Careful body review
7. Hatha yoga
8. Focus on your daily goals
9. Focus on your thoughts

At present the meaning of mindfulness in Spanish has been translated as “full attention” or “full awareness”. What is mindfulness or mindfulness? Mindfulness is defined as the ability to bring own attention to the experiences that are being experienced in the present moment, accepting them without judgment. This term consists of five components essential.

Principles of mindfulness

1. Attention to the present moment: It consists of focusing on the present moment, instead of being aware of the past (rumination) or the future (expectations, fears and desires).
2. Openness to experience: in the practice of mindfulness it is necessary to involve what is called "beginner's mind", in order to be able to observe things as if it were the first time we saw them, without the perceptual mechanisms impose. In order to have a “beginner's mind”, a commitment to maintaining an attitude of curiosity, openness and receptivity is essential.
3. Acceptance: Acceptance and non-judgment can be considered synonymous. We must not judge the thoughts, feelings and events of daily life, we must adopt an attitude of acceptance and refrain from judging what is observed. In the event that a judgment appears in our mind involuntarily, we must let it pass and we simply observe it, we do not get involved in it.
4. Let pass. Letting go refers to not clinging to things or experiences. It consists of not being trapped by any thought, feeling, sensation or desire, in not attaching or identifying with them, we must relate to them in a broader way, from an off-centered perspective, as temporary mental events, since all things do not are permanent and clinging to expired things that inevitably have to happen, can only cause us new suffering or increase the that already exists.
5. Intention: refers to what each person pursues when they practice mindfulness and this evolves throughout the practice.

There are different mindfulness exercises for adults, for children, for anxiety, and so on. Where to start? How to practice mindfulness? The practice of mindfulness consists of an attitude about life, rather than a set of techniques, since it focuses on the attention to the moment present to help the person connect with himself and with the actions that he is taking.

Mindfulness exercises allow us to be aware of what is happening inside us and in our environment, thereby promoting development of ourselves.

Its practice does not require an extensive period of time, it is enough to improve our well-being to practice some exercises during the day in 5, 10 or 15 minutes. What is important in practice is not the exercise that is being exercised, but the attitude that the person adopts in this practice. Below we will explain some very simple mindfulness exercises so that you can practice in your day to day, even during the simplest actions, such as walking.

It is practiced sitting in a chair or on the floor in a certain position (the one that is comfortable, with your back straight) and while you are in a relaxed posture try to observe your breathing. When you involuntarily direct your attention to another object, you must return to the breath. As you advance and have control over the technique, you can begin to observe the body, the sounds, the thoughts, feelings,... But for this, you must have a control over your breathingSince when you start to introduce more complex elements, such as thoughts, you must prevent your concentration from deviating from them.

This technique is as simple as pay attention to the present moment: washing the dishes, setting the table, cleaning the house,... Put all your attention on the immediate experience so that it becomes a more lived experience.

This technique consists of pay attention to the experience of walking. You walk without any purpose, taking advantage of any occasion when you must walk and observe the sensations of the feet, legs or body. Attention to the breath of static meditation can also be incorporated, the important thing is to be present at each step.

Its objective is to reestablish contact with one's own body. In this technique, you must focus sequentially on the various parts of the body while you are lying down with your eyes closed. You must observe the sensations, connect with each area, without judging and accepting the unpleasant sensations that appear.

The technique includes various simple poses in order to gain greater awareness of bodily sensations, including in it the technique of static meditation and careful review of the body in turn. Do you know the benefits of yoga for anxiety?

At the start of the day focus your attention on the goals you want to achieve During the course of this day, it does not need to be many, it is better that you focus your attention on two or three. The objectives can be any, work, personal, emotional,... focus your attention on them and achieve them!

Generally, during the course of the day we tend to stress, because we lead a very fast pace of life. Faced with this, the last thing we think of doing is sitting down and stopping to stop stress, because we decide to act to finish what we have to do, to mitigate it. However, a good exercise to reduce the intensity of these thoughts is sit and stop to think in them.

If you have children or work with children, you may be interested in knowing mindfulness exercises for kids.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Mindfulness exercises for beginners, we recommend that you enter our category of Meditation and relaxation.

• Álvarez, M.L. (2013). What is Mindfulness. 2017, from the Official College of Psychologists of Madrid.
• Bertolín, G.J. (2014). Efficacy-effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR): update. Rev. Asoc. Esp. Neuropsiq, 35, 289-307.
• Didonna, F. (2011). Clinical Mindfulness Manual. Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer, S.A.
• Simon, V. (2010). Mindfulness and psychology: present and future. Psychological information, 100, 162-170.