monkey wrote:Hi there. I am interested in how people practice mindfulness during the day, I mean during their daily lives, not while meditating. Do you have a particular way to remind yourself to come back to the present moment? Do you have a particular practice that you do?
I practice yoga in the morning and sit in the evening and these things just happen without much analysis - I practice how I practice on that day. But I find that mindfulness during my day is a source of some worry for me, I often write down things I think I should be doing 'breathe, relax, reground, be grateful, look after myself' etc. and then I feel myself clamping down on these lists: 'what if I forget?' I find that I am constantly reminding myself of what I need to be mindful of and, in the process, getting caught up in a bunch of thoughts about how important it is to be mindful, grateful etc and therefore not being mindful at all!
I've had this with the sitting practice before and then one day decided to think of it as just sitting down somewhere for a while, no pressure, no technique. Gradually I've brought back more structure and that desire to control hasn't returned. But I just can't seem to shake it for the day to day stuff. I struggled enormously and for a long time with lots of negative thoughts, which the practice really made me a lot more aware of and which I found it hard to deal with. There's a post in the 'why do people give up' thread from me saying that I'm deliberately stopping because I can't face the onslaught when I pause and become aware of it. Feeling gratitude and self care helped a lot with that. I think that I'm worried if I stop listing all this stuff things will start to feel very bleak again.
I'd be really interested in how others practice in the day, especially if it's very simple. My basic thing in the day is to breathe into my belly, breathe out and relax my whole body, feeling the weight of it. That has a wonderful centring quality. But I end up trying to tack other things on to that as well and it's just too much to keep in mind.
Sorry, long post!
I have spent time with a professional mindfulness coach last year where we meditated and done yoga together. Our sessions have led me to see the positive things not only in myself but other people as well. Because of this, I maintain my mindful state by talking with my husband, kids, and friends, then have some time to myself just thinking about our discussions. This has helped me open up to the most important people in my life, helping me to find inner peace.
