5 Mindfulness Tips to add to your week!
We just spent an amazing 10 days in Europe (family vacay w/ husband and kids - yay!!) We sprinted through Paris and London (um - 17,000 steps in one day) and tried to take in as much as possible. Every day was a new adventure and every day included something fun, something exciting, something hectic, and something crazy.
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One thing that remained consistent throughout the entire 10 days: there was never a clear time to meditate. In order to keep my meditation practice semi-consistent - I had to find moments in-between everything in order to “fit it in.” Hmm - seems just like every actual day - right?
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So - I found that just by adding a few quick, small changes to my day, I was able to keep up my practice during the extremely fun chaos.
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5 small adjustments I added to my days:
1 - Morning: 10 breaths before you get out of bed
Every morning before I got out of bed, I would slowly breathe, noticing the rise and fall of my belly, 10 times. This really helped to start my day in a calm - less chaotic way.
2 - Shower time: 10 breaths at the end of the shower
When I took a shower, at the very end of the shower I would stand and slowly take 10 long deep breaths. You’re already in the shower - so what’re 10 more breaths?
3 - Strange time: identify 10 external sensations
There was a lot of ‘hurry up and wait’ time while in line, on bus/train or waiting for people. I found I was getting frustrated during these “waiting” moments. As soon as I began feeling edgy, I would think about 10 sensations I could identify. I.e, my feet on the ground, the feeling of the chair, the cold on my face, the weight of my legs on the couch, etc. This helped redirect my mind away from the annoying feeling of waiting!
4 - In bed: do a body scan
Our sleeping schedule was pretty messed up and I found myself in bed “trying” to sleep - often. If I woke at a strange time, or couldn’t get to sleep, I would do a quick body scan. Noticing any sensations in my feet, legs, torso, arms, shoulders, neck, and head. I found that by relaxing each part of my body, I was able to settle into sleeping - oftentimes not even getting to my head before I fell asleep.
5 - Sitting Meditation: set a timer
There were moments when we all needed some quiet time. Instead of immediately grabbing my phone to look at the news (gross) or at pictures I had taken (yay), I would set my timer (sometimes only 5 minutes - but sometimes 20!) and do a seated meditation. I found that by setting a timer I didn’t stress about how long it would take. I choose the amount of time I wanted, I knew that I would be done when the timer went off. This eased my mind and allowed me to feel in control of my time.
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Start small - these 5 tips are small adjustments you can make to your everyday life - not just for vacation time. Start by doing 1 tip per day. For example - Sitting on Monday. Body Scan on Tuesday. Noticing sensations on Wednesday. Morning breathing on Thursday. Shower time on Friday. You get the idea. Small changes - Big difference!
