‘Live in the moment, how can we be mindful?’

Jun 19, 20193 min read

‘Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.’

Mindfulness is a well- known phenomenon now. Research continues to evidence the benefits of giving ourselves time to acknowledge our feelings, make sense of them and learn strategies to become more positive in our thinking, but ‘how’ do we actually practise mindfulness? Do we really have time in our busy lives? Is it really worth the effort?

There are lots of ways we can develop our own individual style of mindfulness. For me, I find 5 minutes is enough time for me to stop and practise a technique. Patience is not one of my strengths and also, I feel that 5 minutes is ‘doable’. I can make a few 5 minute gaps throughout the day if I need to and I personally find this works for me, rather than taking a 20 minute break.

My ‘go to’ mindful practice is closing my eyes, emptying my brain of thoughts and simply breathing slowly. I find this just clears my head, physically I feel that I am taking in more oxygen (probably not scientifically true at all but it works for me!)

As a Headteacher ‘each day is different and every day new!’ and I can literally be bombarded with a deluge of problems (often other peoples’) in the first five minutes of entering the school building. Before I have even made it to my desk I can be besieged by a teacher needing cover for a sick teaching assistant, a secretary with a phone call requesting an urgent call back about a family in need, a member of staff with an irrate parent, a caretaker with a blocked loo and a new student needing induction and it is usually a Monday morning too when I need to prepare for assembly!

Once sorted I will find five minutes of peace to practise my mindfulness strategy, hopefully after a sip of coffee! It does really help…the mindful five minutes (plus the coffee). I can regroup my thoughts and move onto the strategic tasks with a clearer head and a calmer attitude.

Idea for today: Stop right now, stretch, straighten your back, relax your shoulders and sit with your eyes closed. Empty every thought form your head and concentrate on your breathing. Think only about how it feels to breathe and listen to the sound.

There are lots of different techniques you can follow to enjoy your mindful moments. Some people enjoy listening to a meditation audio. I have added one to this blog for you to experience. It is only seven minutes, as I have said before, I don’t find it helpful to meditate for longer than that, but you may prefer longer sessions. There are so many on the internet now, youtube is especially useful.

There are APPs and CDs and a vast array of materials to support your practise and practitioners offering classes you can attend.

I share mindful techniques with our children at school as the research proves it helps with cognitive development, anxiety and memory. One of our favourite set of assemblies are the videos by ‘Cosmic Kids’ from the ‘Zen Den’. (I have added the link below).

I also find ‘mindful walking’ is a relaxing experience. If you are out with the dog, or just enjoying a stroll, become mindful of your surroundings. Instead of just getting from A to B, listen to the sounds around you, what can you smell? What does the ground feel like underneath your feet? You can extend this to a ‘Five sense mindful experience’ by also considering what are you tasting right now? Look up at the sky and all around you, what can you see? By becoming more aware of your surroundings you can begin to appreciate them and be grateful for this moment, your health, your family and friends. Remember life is good and you deserve a good life.

My website carries my strapline ‘Your attitude determines your direction’ and in becoming more mindful, you can take more control over your attitude and in turn influence the direction you want to take in your life.

Enjoy!