Living in the Moment
with Amber Doyle @ambermoonholistic
Mindfulness is a practice that encourages us to live in our present moment without diving forward, or looking backward. Living in a mindful way has many proven and significant psychological, cognitive and physical benefits to enjoy including increased memory, improved immune function, decreased anxiety and better sleep patterns. In modern society, truly living in the present and ‘switching off’ the daily chatter within the mind can be a difficult task. We may begin our day with the positive intention to meditate, only to become distracted by a steady stream of emails, or an overwhelming to-do list. In these instances, adopting smaller, less time-consuming micro-practices will be beneficial and more realistic to achieve. Here are three ways to incorporate mindfulness into your day to day routine.
Be in the here and now
Be mindful at different stages of the day. For example, if you are stretching before exercise, notice how your body feels with each movement. Where are you holding tension? Notice a beautiful flower, the wind in your hair or the sun on your face.
Focus on your breathing
If faced with an unpleasant situation or feeling anxious, breathwork will help ease the tension, relax the mind and gain clarity. Whilst sitting or lying down, mindfully focus on deeply inhaling exhaling for three minutes.
Take a walk in nature
Immersing yourself in nature and being wholly present in that moment is a wonderful destressor. Whilst enveloped in the great outdoors, bring your attention to the sounds of the birds chirping or the waves crashing, experience the smell of the salty breeze or rain droplets on your face.
Read the full article in the July/ August Festival Issue of GalwayNow Magazine, on shelves now.
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