Did you know that you don’t have to stop what you are doing or working
on in order to do these exercises. Practicing mindfulness in the activities you
do will increase your focus and improve your productivity.
The following is a short excerpt and a basic exercise from http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/mindfulness.htm. The article has
a lot of good information and more exercises for those who would like to learn
how to still their mind and increase their focus.
Mindfulness is a very simple concept.
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose,
in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This increases awareness,
clarity and acceptance of our present-moment reality.
Mindfulness does not conflict with any
beliefs or tradition, religious, cultural or scientific. It is simply a
practical way to notice thoughts, physical sensations, sights, sounds, smells -
anything we might not normally notice. The actual skills might be simple,
but because it is so different to how our minds normally behave, it takes a lot
of practice.
Mindful Breathing Exercise
The primary focus in Mindfulness
Meditation is the breathing. However, the primary goal is a calm, non-judging awareness, allowing thoughts and
feelings to come and go without getting caught up in them. This creates calmness and
acceptance.
- Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight.
- Direct your attention to your breathing.
- When thoughts, emotions, physical feelings or external sounds occur, simply accept them, giving them the space to come and go without judging or getting involved with them.
- When you notice that your attention has drifted off and becoming caught up in thoughts or feelings, simply note that the attention has drifted, and then gently bring the attention back to your breathing.
It's ok and natural for thoughts to arise, and for your
attention to follow them. No matter how many times this happens, just keep bringing
your attention back to your breathing.
