Mindfulness has been reported to make true changes in both the brain and the body – strengthening and healing. If you don’t know how to practice mindfulness, here are insights and tools for how to stay mindful throughout the day. Read on…
One day – back in 2013 – my son Ari and I were heading to daycare – the same exact route we always go.
Yep. Every day, we strollered down the same street to get there.
I liked to talk with Ari, as we strollered – always pointing out things to notice.
So on this particular day it occurred to me to point out something entirely new to Ari: a fun daily mindfulness practice.
I pointed out to Ari how even though we always go the same exact path to daycare daily, things are always different. In some way. On this supposedly exact same path.
I told Ari we should both be aware of what is different each day – because each day holds something new to see, something new to hear, something new to learn, something new to experience.
And it’s true.
All of this kinda reminds me of a Paulo Cuelho quote:
“You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.”
It also kinda reminds me of what Nobel Prize winning scientist Daniel Kahneman shares.
According to Kahneman, each of these individual “moments” lasts but a mere few seconds.
When you’re fully, mindfully present (instead of being caught up with regrets about the past or worries about the future) you’re able to appreciate life’s beautiful “now time” moments – and thereby our life doesn’t become one big “blur time.”
When we’re listening to a song we love – or gazing steadfast at a painting which entrances us – we’re fully present in a “still frame” moment – mindfully in “now time.”
Sure, yummy food is fun to eat. But part of why it’s fun is because we’re stopped in time when we savor an awesome taste sensation!
I also believe that “now time” is how you create a MEMORY!When you’re living mindfully in the moment you’re “freeze framing” a moment in time – and this is what creates a MEMORY!
It then makes sense that the less memories you have during specific times in your life, the more likely it’s because you were speed-forwarding through each moment – not living in “now time.”
Likewise, the more memories you have from specific times in your life, it’s because these were precious times.
These were times when you were deeply aware of the miracles of your life – and living minfully and consciously.
If you want to love your life more – you can begin by living and loving more of it – by living mindfully and loving more of those teeny-tiny, awesome mindful moments in your day!
Make a commitment that from now on you will choose to practice mindfulness.
Start to keep your eyes open for what makes a “new today” different than any other day.
Remember that famous game of “I Spy”- which one usually plays with toddlers?
Well, guess what?
“I Spy” is a fun “mindfulness game” to play with all family members.
Howard, Ari and I all love to point out to one another all the interesting people and things we see as we walk down the street together. When we do this, we are all practicing daily mindfulness.
I promise that if you regularly play “I Spy” with your family, and purposefully point out all the beautiful and/or the interesting things/people in your surroundings, you will train your brain to live more in the now.
You will be building up your “mindfulness muscles” – by teaching your brain to focus on joyful moments – instead of obsessing about the past or fearing the future!
Eventually you all will wind up experiencing far more daily happiness.
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