What is mindfulness meditation?
Mindfulness meditation is an activity where you make time to focus on the here and now consciously. Become aware of your feelings and surroundings without judging.
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How to start mindfulness meditation?
- Make time. First, you need to decide that you want to start with mindfulness meditation and set aside some time to practice. At first, you might get easily distracted, but the more you practice, the better you get and the more you will benefit from it.
- Pick a meditation style that fits you. There are many different types of meditation. Try different methods and decide which ones work best for you.
- Observe the present moment. Focus on the here and now, without judgment. It’s not easy, allow yourself time to learn this.
- Let your thoughts go by. Think of your thoughts as clouds that go with the wind. Acknowledge them and then move on.
- Stay in the present moment. During the meditation, your mind will wander. That’s ok, don’t judge it. Gently bring yourself back to the present moment and continue with your meditation.
- Give yourself time to come back. After the meditation, you can feel all kinds of emotions. Give yourself some time to acknowledge them without judgment, before you move on to your daily life.
Different types of mindfulness meditation
- Body scan meditation: This helps you to get out of your mind, in your body. You start by focussing on your left foot for 10-20sec, and then you move on to your other body parts until you reach your head. Every time you feel your mind wander, you gently bring it back to the part you were focussing on.
- Movement meditation: This meditation is often practiced while walking. You consciously focus on the experience. Feel how your feet hit the ground and lift off again. Try to keep your awareness involved with the walking.
- Mindfulness breathing meditation: With this exercise, you focus on your breathing. You breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. This helps you to breathe slower and release stress.
- Awareness meditation: with this exercise, you focus your attention on one of the following.
- Surroundings: Focus your full attention on things you see or hear around you without judging them.
- Emotions: Look inside and ask yourself what emotions you feel. Don’t think of them as negative or positive, merely observe and let them be.
- Physical feelings: Bring your awareness to your body and try to describe what you feel without judgment.
- Thoughts: Observe your thoughts. Acknowledge them and move on.
- Relaxing music meditation: With this exercise, you often lay down in a relaxing pose. Bring your awareness to the music you hear. If your mind wanders, you gently bring it back to the music.
- Mindful completing a task: You can do this exercise with anything. You can mindfully brush your teeth or clean the dishes. As long as you keep your awareness at the task. If you get distracted, kindly bring your mind back to the task at hand.
- Visualization: Let your mind wander to a happy place, this can be the beach or a forest or anything that makes you happy and calm. Make the mental image as real as possible. Try to feel like you are there.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: This is a technique to relieve stress by focusing on the sensations of relaxation in the body. By tensing, and then relaxing groups of muscles, you are letting go of stored tension.
Superhero pose
Being aware of your body language is also a great way to be mindful. In this fantastic TED talk Professor Cuddy explains how her research showed that “Holding a power pose” for 2 minutes, leads to a confident attitude, which helps in high-pressure situations, like presentations, job interviews and exams. Stand with your feet firmly on the ground, back straight, hands-on-hips, shoulders back and your head held high. According to Cuddy, this raises testosterone, the hormone that makes you feel more confident, and decreases cortisol, the hormone that makes you feel stressed.
Our bodies change our minds, and our minds can change our behavior, and our behavior can change our outcomes. – Amy Cuddy
Were does mindfulness meditation work for?
Mindfulness meditation teaches you that feelings are a part of life, it helps you accept them without judgment. There is growing research showing that when you train your brain to be more mindful, you’re remodeling the physical structure in your brain. This can help change your perception of pain, Lowers stress and blood pressure and improves general mental and physical health. Mindfulness meditation can also help boost confidence and enhances concentration.
28-day mindfulness meditation challenge
Download my 28-day meditation challenge for free and find out what meditation exercise feels right for you.
Excellent mindfulness meditation exercises to start with
Mindfulness bingo
If sticking to a mindfulness routine is still tricky for you, try to make it fun with this bingo. Whenever you’ve completed a task, cross it off the list until you’ve completed all the mindfulness exercises.
Get the free printable mindfulness bingo here
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46 COMMENTS
Dee Dee | Chasing A Better Life
7 years agoI’ve never understood why people feel guilty taking time for themselves. It makes us better people and easier to be around. Great article!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORThank you for your kind words ?
veronica bolton
7 years agoi love your blog! you got a new subscriber! This is a great post!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORTy for your kind words?
Sara
7 years agoI love this posy, I enjoy lots of yoga actually doing stretching right now and meditation is Amazing for the mind! Thank you for sharing awesome tips can’t wait to use! More people should take time out clear their minds and focus on themselves!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORYoga is great aswell, but that pose is a miracle if you don’t have much time but you need an instant boost!
Terri
7 years agoI love the superhero pose! The 28-day challenge is a great idea, too.
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORAnd it works so well!
Janet
7 years agoLove this so much! I do this most days/ I always feel much more organized and put together when I do it. Thank you for the tips!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORAnytime ?
pinkoddy
7 years agoThis is an amazing post I had no idea that there were so many variations of ways to meditate. I love yoga nidra to meditate
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORYes yoga is also a great way to calm your mind ?
Terri Beavers
7 years agoI’m wondering if mindfulness meditation would help me when it comes to handling my chronic pain. I’ve never meditated before but I think it could help if I try it.
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORI have fibromyalgia, I went to this clinic 16 hours a week to recover and most of that time was spend meditating and with repogramming the brain to deal better with pain. It definately helped me! Something that really helps for me aswell is Heating pads, the ones you put in the microwave or charge. Head can be so comforting!
Sarah Bailey
7 years agoI really need to try and do something like meditation, I think it could really help me in the long term. I’ll have to try some of these ideas.
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORIt really helps! but you need to get through the beginning. Remember the more you do something the better you get. This is especially true for meditation. You can’t expect to be good at it right away, it takes practise, but it will be so rewarding, goodluck!
Ayron
7 years agoGreat post. I definitely need to mediate more but struggle with quieting my mind.
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORIt’s not easy! but the more you practise, the better you get. Just make sure that you don’t push yourself, or you might get discouraged, goodluck!
Ann F. Snook-Moreau
7 years agoIt’s crazy to realize how much stuff we ignore throughout the day! Doing a body scan is so important for your physical and mental health, but I really want to try to mindfully do mundane tasks . . . it sounds interesting!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORYes! we do so many things on the automatic pilot, it’s a shame how much experiences we miss that way.
Aahsima
7 years agoI so want to start meditating. It is so peaceful and relaxing. Thanks for the tips, these sound easy to start with.
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORJust start and give yourself some time to get good at it! 🙂
Laura Jane
7 years agoI love this guide! I am really trying to get into meditation, but I didn’t even know about all these variations. I’m going to try the superhero pose and see if it works. 🙂
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHOROh yes! you should try it! It gives immediate results, so motivating!
Alma colon
7 years agoI love mindfulness posts!! I am taking an ACT and mindfulness class and I use it with clients! This post is great! Thank you!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORThank you for your kind words?
Dee at My Dee Dees Diary
7 years agoMindfulness meditation actually sounds pretty amazing. I have never heard of it but would like to try
sarah camille
7 years agoYou really got me thinking about starting this up. Taking some time out of my day to meditate sounds like a great way to find some extra peace and de-stress. 🙂
Custom Wristband
7 years agoMy family members all the time say tbat I amm wasting my time
here at net, however I know I am getting eperience daily by rading succh good content.
Caitlin + Dani
7 years agoMindful meditation is so important. You should try yoga nidra before bed!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHOROh i love that! thanks for reading!
Kiwi
7 years agoThis is great information definitely! I am going to be metitating more as I grow on my spiritual and wellness journey.
Alexi Sherrill
7 years agoI love all the different styles of meditation that you cover. It’s so much more than simply sitting quietly (which I cannot do!!). What a wonderful overview!
Erica B.
7 years agoI like to do Awareness meditation and focus on my emotions and thoughts. I am new to this but it is amazing how I feel afterwards – so much more relaxed and peaceful! I have tried listening to music but prefer to meditate in complete silence – like you said definitely find what works for you and it takes time and practice to get better at focusing on the present and not letting your mind wander during meditation. Thank you for sharing your advice, information and tips! Being mindful is so important because people so often are caught up in their heads and with all the stimulation these days from technology that we need to take time out to really listen to our bodies and gut 🙂
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORAwareness meditation is great and so good for us! thanks for reading x
Jenny Gregg
7 years agoI have been looking for a blog such as this! Great content. I’m excited about applying the tips you have laid out here
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORHope you can find some inspiration in this!
Randy
7 years agoLOVE THIS!!!! I’m such believer in mindful meditation and this really breaks it down for all of us lovely stressed out humans. Great message!!!
Laura
7 years agoLove this post! I also love love yoga!! Thank you!
Chelsea
7 years agoThis is such an informative post! I’m really interested in learning more about meditation and incorporating it into my daily life to help ease stress and anxiety.
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORHope it helps!
Amanda Alcamo
7 years agoI’m trying to be more mindful so this is the perfect article for me, thank you so much for the tips!
Dimph
7 years ago AUTHORHope it helps!
Jackie
6 years agoI have just recently started meditating myself and I must admit, I am really enjoying it. I also had heard of the superhero power pose but I have never tried it. I think I should start!
Kim
6 years ago AUTHORIt sounds a little weird, but it really works! Our bodies are so complex and special!