Use Mindfulness Exercises to
Experience Peace
Mindfulness exercises are wonderful stress relief. These easy techniques help us coax a turbulent or scattered frantic mind back to sanity and peace.
Mindfulness activities involve gently focusing the mind on a simple basic aspect of life and bringing our full attention and awareness to it.
When the mind wanders, we easily bring the mind gently back to the point of focus.
It is actually quite simple. The procedure works to bring calmness, silence and peace into our experience.
Some specific examples of
mindfulness exercises include:
- Go for a walk in nature. Pay attention to your feet as they carry you forward. Simply observe the sensations as you move.
- Observe nature. Watch the waves rolling in on the shore, or the rain falling in the puddles or the wind moving through the trees.
- Watch the breath. Simply observe the inhale and exhale of your own body - don't try to control it or manipulate it. Just watch it.
- Repeat a short prayer. Choose a short prayer from you own spiritual tradition. Repeat it quietly to yourself again and again. Allow yourself to simply focus on the words in your mind.
- Observe your own thoughts. Simply watch them come up - as impulses like waves on the ocean. They rise up and then they settle down. And then the next wave inevitably comes.But instead of believing the thoughts, or taking them seriously, or paying attention to their content, you're just watching them - impersonally - watching them come and go, come and go. (It's as if - instead of swimming in the ocean, for a while, you stand on the shore and watch the waves - just watch.)
During mindfulness exercises we aren't trying to change anything. We aren't trying to control anything. We are simply observing.
We use the innate power of awareness, often latent in the mind. We become aware of what is, right now.
How does this help us?
We drop the fears of the future.
We drop the regrets and turmoil of the past.
We gently pay attention.
We pay attention to something now.
We make the choice to stay in the present here and now.
As we simply observe and accept.
We discover peace.
The experience changes over time… let it.
Allow Mindfulness to Gradually Grow
Mindfulness exercises can be practiced even 5 or 10 minutes at a time. With practice, they become easier. And the silence from within comes more quickly - and grows.
Eventually the experience starts to spill over into your activity - into the rest of your life. That's why we do it. It allows life as a whole to be lived more peacefully. We learn to watch life take place, to let it unfold. Instead of being trapped in it or trying to control it we can witness its innate beauty.
In general, put your attention on whatever it is you are actually doing. This transforms ordinary actions into mindfulness activities.
- If you are in the kitchen peeling the potatoes for dinner, then put your attention on that.
- If you are in the garden harvesting, then watch yourself harvesting.
- Whenever the mind wanders from watching what you are doing - gently and simply bring it back to the here and now.
Even a few minutes a day without anticipating, planning, or regretting can restore our sanity and peace.
Pay attention... we make a conscious choice.
If the mind wanders... when we realize it... we make the choice again.
It's not straining or forcing.
It's not violent or punishing.
We choose, and we choose again.
When I practice mindfulness exercises, I discover that life is a miraculous gift. It unfolds from some source of power beyond what I can see. It seems to happen perfectly. I feel safe.
From here you many wish to explore other ideas on
How to Deal with Stress Spiritually.
Or, find out more about
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.
Gentle Stress Relief home page