Daily Mindful Practices that Cost Nothing
Incorporating mindfulness activities into your everyday routine can be incredibly simple and rewarding.
Text: Rebecca Morais and Charissa Guan
Ladies practicing yoga
What is mindfulness? Many of us think it might require us to book a yoga class or schedule a crystal bowl sound healing session. While we absolutely love those activities, there are lots of simple ways that can help you stay mindful all day long. Pausing to practise mindfulness for just a few minutes at different times during the day can really help your days be more fulfilling.
Here are four daily practices that can bring more mindfulness into your life. The best part? They’re absolutely free!
Starting your day with a purpose
Before you rush to check your phone for texts you’ve missed throughout the night and comb through your inbox, start your day with intention. Take three long, deep breaths before asking yourself, what is your intention for the day.
Here are a couple of questions you could ask yourself:
How do I hope to grow?
In what way can I better take care of myself?
How might I display more compassion?
What do I need to do to achieve my goals?
Once you’ve set your intentions for the day, remember to check in with yourself throughout the day.
Healthy meals
Savouring all your meals
Eating can be one of the most pleasurable experiences we engage in as human beings. Doing it mindfully can turn eating into a much more intense experience as you engage all your senses while you eat.
These days, multi-tasking has become something of an art form. We’re all used to doing more than one thing at a time; walking and texting, working and online shopping, and paying little attention to our meals and the food we put in our mouths. We often grab a bite to eat while slogging away at work or on the go while rushing to the next meeting. Like everything else in life, eating mindfully has given way to multi-tasking behaviour. It’s important to distinguish meal time from other activities and forest awareness while we are eating. Focus on how hungry you are and eat accordingly. Slow down, relax and enjoy your meal.
Recharging your brain
Your brain often switches to autopilot, enabling you to carry on doing tasks quickly, accurately, and without conscious thought. Mindfulness is the exact opposite of these processes; it slows the brain. It deliberately controls the brain rather than letting it run on autopilot, thus enabling intentional actions and decisions. Practice activating your slow brain by creating new patterns. For example, associating deep breaths with daily tasks like opening your fridge door. So every instance you open your fridge door, you take a deep breath.
The brain is a muscle, so the more you train it, the stronger it gets. Each intentional action to shift into mindfulness will strengthen your slow brain.
Walking outdoors
A total mind and body workout
Spin class, boxing, or personal training are all excellent ways to sweat it out but the cost for these can quickly add up. The physiological benefits of exercise and the most straightforward exercise tools are attached to your body – your hands and feet! Blast your favourite music, spend half an hour dancing in your living room or put on your trainers and explore your favourite hiking trail near your neighbourhood. Instead of simply working out to strut a rocking bod (though that’s a bonus), move and breathe in a way that not only gets your blood pumping but also shifts from feeling busy to strong and capable. While you want to push and challenge yourself, rest when you need to.
Pausing to practise mindfulness for just a few minutes at different times during the day can help your days be more fulfilling, and let’s be real — free feels pretty good too!
