Life can get emotionally heavy. I think it’s pretty fair to say most of us have been feeling more than our fair share of stress and anxiety lately. Whether it comes from politics, the coming holidays, or the everyday pressure of life, it can feel overwhelming. That often leads us into negative thoughts and feelings about ourself and the world. Negative energy sucks and as far as I’m concerned, life is too short to be miserable. So how can we break free?
Understanding Mindfulness
Mindfulness is an amazing tool that can help you to come back into balance. It creates clarity, calm, and releases negative thoughts. At its core, mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment, open and curious without judgment. It teaches you how to release the energy of the emotion that gets suppressed in the body. When the body is calm and in balance, the mind is free to let go of negative thoughts, ideas, and reactions that hold you back.
Creating Distance from Negative Thoughts
How often do you catch your brain telling you things you know aren’t true? Negative thoughts like ‘I’m not enough’ or ‘I don’t deserve’ even though there’s a wiser part that knows that’s not true? Our thoughts are created by the energy our body holds. You can know all of these amazing powerful things about yourself, but if your body is picking up too much stress and anxiety your brain can spiral into negative self-talk to justify that feeling. Mindfulness helps us step back into clarity, enabling you to step back into your wisdom and strength.
The Power of Calm and Peace
Whatever you practice is what you get good at. I used to practice anxiety and believe me, I became a pro at that. My body could react to almost anything. Mindfulness helped me create an inner environment of calm. Mindful breathing anchors my body to a grounded feeling of balance and ease. This brings clarity. When we are clear, we make better decisions. We hold less judgement. It lets me see the good.
Finding Your Path to Mindfulness
There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. Here are a few simple breathing techniques you can try. No matter which one you choose, make yourself comfortable before you begin.
Mindfulness Breathing
- Take a moment and Focus on your breathing.
- When you feel the sensation of the breath repeat a positive word (such as calm or peace), sound (Om), or affirmation (I am oneness) slowly out loud or in your mind.
- Feel free to practice for 5-10 minutes. If you mind wanders that’s okay. Give it permission to come back to the sensation to the breath.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
- Begin by blocking the right nostril with your thumb and take in a slow full breath through the left nostril.
- Hold for a brief moment and cover the left nostril with your ring finger, exhale completely through the right nostril.
- Inhale through the right nostril, hold a moment then switch again exhaling out the left nostril.
- Start with a 5 minute practice with a goal of working towards a 10-15 minute practice
Pursed Lip Breathing
- Close your eyes and release muscles in face, neck, and shoulders.
- Take a deep breath in to a count of 2 through the nose.
- Pucker your lips like you are going to blow out a candle and do a long slow gentle exhale to the count of 4 or 6.
- You can repeat this 20-30 times
Take Charge of Your Mind and Body
Mindfulness is a practice that can teach you how to let go of the negative things that are keeping you stuck. From that place of clarity and ease you are free to live your best life.
Are you ready to take the first step towards the life you deserve? Call and book a free consultation today and begin your journey towards clarity and peace.