Mindfulness and Meditation:
The Perfect Alternative for Those Who Sit, Then Quit
by Maya Frost
We want to meditate.
Or, more precisely, we want to want to meditate!
But we have our own barriers for starting or continuing a consistent
meditation practice. The good news: we can develop greater
mindfulness without sitting in meditation!
Sitting in silence with eyes closed is an ideal way for many people to learn to
become more mindful, but it's certainly not the only way!.
Feel free to incorporate sound,
movement, words, numbers, nature, people or anything else that gets
you excited about learning to pay attention.
Excited? Yes. I watched my clients' eyes glaze over at the mere mention of meditation,
so I created mindfulness exercises that are enjoyable and easy
for anyone to do during a typical crazy day in the Real World.
As a teacher and facilitator with my own 30-year meditation practice,
I decided to zero in on two key elements: motivation and relevant learning style.
It's not difficult to be mindful. It's just hard to REMEMBER to be mindful.
And so what we need are simple, fun activities to engage in and
readily-available cues to remind us to pop into mindfulness mode while we're doing them.
The key is to make sure to develop mindfulness in the same way you
PREFER to learn any new skill.
Through words? Movement? Visual cues? Music? Being in nature?
Spending time in conversation with others?
The more you build your natural learning style into your mindfulness practice,
the more likely you are to make it a seamless part of your daily routine.
You can develop your own creative collection of mindfulness triggers,
and the quirkier, the better! Emphasize the fun factor and focus on reducing
your barriers to learning.
Most of all, remember that anyone can play with mindfulness in order to
increase awareness naturally. No matter how old you are or what you're into,
there's a perfect blend of mindfulness training techniques that will help
YOU connect to the world more meaningfully.
All you need to do is keep your eyes wide open and start playing
with the possibilities for greater awareness all around you.
Ahhh. Don't you feel more calm, clear, and creative already?
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© 2004-2020 Maya Frost
When sharing, please include the following:
Maya Frost is an author, mindfulness trainer, and creative change strategist.
Learn more at MayaFrost.com
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