Best mindfulness practices that will elevate your life
Ancient, tested mindfulness practices from the east to the west
Meditation can be difficult, frustrating, too high a hurdle to jump over without collapsing during the time-consuming failing attempts. It requires discipline and practice. Most give up before its blissful effects can penetrate the body and mind. Even in the ideal setting of a noise-free room, there will be days when neighbours drill into the walls, their kids race on the floors above you or someone manicures their garden with a motor mower.
Awareness rather than aligned positions focused form of yoga is much easier and a realistic habit to stick with. Asana alone though can never be as much beneficial as sitting still during a deep meditation session. Being in your body, acknowledging the sore muscles from a game of tennis yesterday, accepting the stiff back and tight hips, noticing a dislocated vertebrae in need of a gentle twist to ‘click’ it back – all that brings awareness of your body’s needs, but at the same time it tunes your mind on a smooth jazzy frequency. Yoga practice can become mindfulness in movement, but it is best to practice on your own. Too many distractions float to the surface of the studio that can make mindfulness practice more challenging, even contradicting it with its competitive, comparative temptations surrounding your gaze.
Gentle stretches and slow, precise movements of the body to move the essential energy around are also the main aspects of Tai-Chi and Qi-Gong. These are far-eastern mindfulness practices when you work with your body’s so called “Qi” (pronounced Chi) energy. I relished in one-to-one with Master William C.C. Chen based in New York. His Tai Chi Chuan technique is suitable for beginners. Also the resident teacher at the Golden Door in California opened my practice into a more flowing, dance-like savouring of the present moment. For Qi-Gong online I recommend Master Fumin Wang Guo.
Martial arts are about mastering focus and guiding the mind beyond fear and other hurdles that could weaken you, potentially cost you life. I tried the Japanese sword art Iaidō (居合道). Ironically, it is not about violence at all, the weapon is just a tool to fully engage with, to merge into oneness. So is the traditional practice of calligraphy. I grasp the brush, dip it carefully in the dripping ink, and with gentle movement of my arms transfer the writing tool to the paper, fully present. Whether in a formal studio, a temple in Kyoto, a practice after a lunch with a friend in private kaiseki room in Tokyo and even in a noisy cafe in the bustling Marrakech Medina, the location or script did not matter, for the practice was purely about my mind being set on the activity. Mindfulness practices like these are about honing a skill. One tests one’s patience.
Controlled breathing known as pranayama, is an established and researched technique aiding with all body~mind connecting practices. The energising flow of an inhale and the releasing power of each exhale, both require concentration to distract us from other activities and disturbances. At the same time breath directs the body’s life energy (qi, prana, …) to a balancing pace.
Harmony and longevity are terms used often in the eastern world. I wrote about them in my long-life musing. Mindfulness is one of the most potent non-material tools that can help us to live longer and be happier. The key is to let go while observing.When we free ourselves from intense emotions we have space for objective, non-attached observation. We liberate ourselves from our subjectivity.
Next to meditation, yoga, qi-gong, tai-chi martial arts and breathing, there are other tools you can implement into your daily life to increase your mindfulness.
I enjoy ikebana, Japanese mindful flower arrangement attuned to the changing seasons in nature. You select only one dominant flower and a few leafy or fern-like plants, trimming them as carefully as you can. By having less, not a bouquet, you learn restraint.
Su-Mei Yu, the author of The Elements of Life advises using your beauty time (not just ladies) to unwind and bring attention to your mind. When making a face mask at home, lie down and relax while it’s nourishing your skin for the period of its penetration. It is an opportunity to clear your head and skin at the same time.
During a massage at a spa, just focus on each part of the body as the therapist touches the skin and become aware of any stiffness, soreness or other signals that our body is expressing. Be aware of your breathing.
Just being on a quiet beach, the perfect place where nature with its relaxing hiss of the waves, let the sound guide your mind. Just close your lids, and feel the sun rays penetrating through your skin. Warmth in itself is calming, it feels like someone is daringly enveloping you with their arms.
Nature rejuvenates our spirit, but a strenuous hike requires our attention being dispersed in the environment, so we do not slip and injure ourselves. Take a break, sit down on a comfortable boulder or a bench and savour the clean mountain air, the fragrances of the forest, the meadows or the mineral breeze swooshing from the sea. Shinrin-yoku is a japanese term for forest bathing. As if you were in a cosy bath, you immerse yourself in the surroundings of trees, while caring about each step and scent.
Music is another marvellous tool that can tune us into the state of deep focus. It depends on the type of music though. Plus, each of us likes different music and needs to test what works best. I wrote about the power of sound in my other musing. The piano record composed by my french friend Thomas Zaruba, some of which can be played on La Muse Blue’s poetry page works magic. His album tilted Slow Down invites you to do just that with both your body and the mind.
There is no one mindfulness practice that is better than other, it is more about finding and practicing the one or more you like. I advise selecting those that you can realistically include in your every day lifestyle. Consistency becomes mastery. Become strong.