Mindfulness and Meditation Methods to Try

Most people find a residential retreat a powerful experience; and I have found them incredibly helpful in creating (and now sustaining and deepening) my daily meditation practice.  But mindfulness isn’t just about sitting stone-still for a set period of time each day; indeed, “real” mindfulness is cultivated everywhere, all the time.

However.  In my “all-or-nothing” brain, I need to remind myself that every moment of mindfulness I experience is helpful – no matter how small, or how brief, or how fleeting.  One tiny moment helps to lead to another, which helps to lead to another, and another, and another and another…. Just as hurtful words can sting long after their actual sound has ended, so too can an experience of mindfulness be helpful and supportive long after the actual moment has passed.

So, in the spirit of “no-moment-is-too-small”, and “why not start right now?”, here are some different mindfulness methods you can try.  Play with them; find which ones work for you; discover which ones may not appeal to you right now; create brand new ones on your own; and feel free to share what you find.  I always love hearing about other people’s experiences.  : )

• Schedule an alarm to ring at a set interval of time (i.e., once an hour, once every 2 or 4 hours, etc.); and when the alarm rings, stop whatever you are doing, and pay attention to what is in *that* moment.  Where is your mind?  What are you thinking about?  How is your breathing?  How does your body feel? Walk through each of your five senses – how is each one engaged (or not) in the moment?  Etc.
• Choose a routine activity that you do each day (brushing teeth, brushing hair, showering, doing dishes, caring for a pet, eating, etc.), and be mindful for as much of the time as you can while you are engaged in that activity.  Again, note any mental thoughts, body sensations, breath awareness, etc.
• Pay attention to your breath just before you fall asleep, and/or right as you wake up.  How does your breath feel?  And the rest of your body?  Don’t try to change anything; just become aware of what is.
• Practice mindful walking for a few minutes each day.
• For a set period of time (5, 10, 20 minutes), notice all of the experiences you label as either pleasant and unpleasant.  Each experience can be connected to your body, thoughts, or emotions.  What causes you to label an experience as pleasant?  What causes you to label an experience as unpleasant?
• Commute to/from work in silence.  (I.e., no radio, cell phone, external media/entertainment.)  Just notice all of the sensory inputs that occur “naturally” (i.e., vibration of the vehicle, or feeling of the motion of a bike or body moving, any sounds that occur, etc.).
• Each time you log on to/log off of a computer, pause for one extra second, take a breath, and notice what is going on in that moment.
• As you walk to/from a meeting, pay attention to your: posture, emotions, thoughts, self-talk, expectations, attitudes, etc.  And/or pay attention to the physical act of walking itself.
• Keep an open posture during one conversation, or meeting, or meal.  (I.e., don’t cross your arms or legs, and keep your back straight.)  How does it feel?  Is it different from how you usually feel?  Did it impact the tone/tenor of the conversation/meeting/meal at all?
• Practice mindful listening during at least one conversation each day.  How does it feel, compared to the other conversations you usually have?
• If it’s too difficult to listen mindfully during a conversation, try starting by at least taking an intentional pause before the conversation (1-on-1, in a meeting, etc.), and setting an intention to open, listen, and be honest without being harmful.
• As you are engaging in conversation with someone, ask the question to yourself, “What is called for now?”  Then notice the answer that arises.
• Refrain from media for an evening, day, several days, or week.  (“Media” can be one or more of the following: TV, computer, Facebook, cell phone, newspaper, magazines, internet surfing, etc.  If going “cold turkey” seems insane, maybe start by choosing just one item to refrain from.)  Check-in at various intervals, and notice how you feel (physically, mentally, emotionally).  Are things shifting as you spend more time away from media? Notice how things are as you include media back in your life.

Finally, for those of you who may be interested in starting a more “formal” meditation practice (or for those who may be interested in enhancing an established meditation practice), here are some additional meditation methods:

• Dropping a question into meditation three times, and seeing what arises.  (A good question can be, “What is called for now?”)
• Mindfully eat a snack (or drink a beverage).  Experience the food visually, then with the ears, then the nose.  Then experience the sensation of the food (or fork/spoon) in your hand.  Then, take a bite, and notice the flavors, textures, temperature… and notice these things via your lips, tongue, teeth, throat, all the way down to as far as you can feel.  Put the fork/spoon/food down, and breathe. Then resume.
• Doing a mindful yoga session.
• Doing a walking meditation session.
• Using the breath as the object of meditation.
• Using thoughts/emotions as the object of meditation.
• Using a field of vision as the object of meditation.
• Doing a seated mountain meditation.
• Doing a seated body scan.  (Or doing a body scan lying down.)
• Doing lovingkindness (metta) meditation.
• Reading a poem before entering meditation; and using the content of the poem as the object of meditation.
• Doing any guided meditation practice.
• Practice choiceless awareness as a meditation method.
• Live in a period of silence for an evening or a day.  Notice how the experience feels; notice if any new sensations arise; notice what thoughts appear; etc.  Did anything change as you spent more time in silence?  Notice how things are as you include noise back in your life.

There is no single right method, or way, or answer; it all just is.  My wish is that you have fun exploring and discovering your personal path.

Stef