Do you practice mindfulness? And if so, how do you do it?

[Heather Shay]

Do you practice mindfulness? And if so, how do you do  it?

[KathyLauren]

I do a brief mindfulness meditation every day. 

 

I recite a short Buddhist text to get in the right frame of mind, then I watch my breath.  I sit on a kneeling bench with my feet under me, since I can't sit in lotus position.  I use a mala (a Buddhist rosary) to count my breaths: it helps prevent me from falling asleep.

 

My mind wanders.  That is inevitable.  When I notice that, I just bring my attention back to my breath and the mala.  I do my meditation in front of a shrine, with Buddhist images and books around me, so my mind doesn't wander too far.

[Jani]

That does sound peaceful KathyLauren.

[Ashley0616]

Heck I wished I could sometimes turn off my brain lol. I'm always thinking about transitioning, building my wardrobe and shoe/boot collection, am I passing enough, is my voice passable, I'm very conscious about upper body is so broad and doesn't look feminine, think about my kids, family members, church, the forum is usually my happy place and plenty of other things that I'm constantly thinking about. 

[Vidanjali]

Mindfulness can be practiced all day, throughout the day. Use senses, breath, body awareness. When you eat, do so slowly. Take in subtle characteristics of taste, texture, location of food in the mouth, movement of tongue, teeth, throat. Look at something. Anything. Describe it to yourself in neutral terms, the color, texture, proportion. By neutral, do not entertain thoughts of how you feel about the thing, like or dislike, or whether it reminds you of anything. Take time to listen. Let your hearing move around like radar, as far out as you can hear, sounds near where you are, close to you, within your own body. Don't name the things or mentally comment on them, just listen. Walk. Feel each motion of every step. Breathe. Feel air going on and out of the body. Sit or lie down and take inventory of sensation in different body parts. Again, no naming or commenting, just feeling sensation. There are endless ways to practice mindfulness. The more you practice, the greater your peace of mind will be. You will be prepared to endure all kinds of circumstances with greater equanimity of mind. 

[Davie]

Like @Vidanjalispells it out so beautifully. Me too.

Also it helps to have friends to do it with. I go to this daily, online:

https://cambridgeinsight.org/dharma-in-daily-life/

🙏