What is mindfulness? A word about forest bathing, swimming and drinking tea.
Mindful cup of tea
Mindfulness means being fully present in the moment, here and now. Let me give you an example. Imagine you’re sipping loudly your morning coffee or tea, trying not to burn your mouth. You hold a mobile in the other hand, checking your mailbox. You put the cup down loudly and hurriedly put on the jacket.
Now, imagine you could do it differently. Sit down with the hot cup in your hands and smell the aroma of your drink. Feel the hot steam on your face as you bring the cup to your lips. Notice the temperature of the drink inside your mouth and its intense flavour. Have a sip - let it linger on your palate. Feel the hot liquid travelling down your throat and the warmth spreading inside you. Have another sip. Nothing else bothers or distracts you. It’s only you and your cup of coffee/tea. That’s the mindful approach.
Sink into your body
Bodily sensations and your breath bring you straight into the present moment. What do you do inside your head? You plan, worry, hope, dream, recollect, revise… All of that relates to the past or the future. Your mind is fully present only when it follows your body.
Mindful day, every day
Mindfulness means doing one thing at a time, unhurriedly, with full focus. You must be thinking: who on Earth has the time for that? Western culture tells you to perform quickly and to multitask so it takes some effort to go against this trend.
But mindfulness is easier to incorporate into your life than a classic, seated meditation as you could do ANY activity mindfully. How about mindful cleaning or queuing? OK, something more pleasant: mindful gardening or dog walking?
Forest bathing: no forest needed!
So you’re hooked now, but would like to try some mindful activity that is going to bring you palpable health benefits and be enjoyable? Then forest bathing, the Japanese art of shirin-yoku, is for you.
You don’t need a forest to do it! You could go to the nearest park or your garden. Scientific research showed that even occasional forest bathing lowers blood pressure, decreases heart rate and improves immunity.
Just being in nature is not enough. If you walk quickly through the forest, chat, have your headphones on, or think about your job, you’re NOT forest bathing.
To practice forest bathing:
switch off your mobile
become silent
tune in to all your senses: see the colours of the leaves, feel the texture of the bark of the tree, hear the rustle of the trees in the wind
breathe slowly and deeply
slow down
take everything in with wonder
Find your favourite mindful activity
I bet you already have at least one mindful activity you love and can make time for. For me it’s swimming in the natural body of water. When I swim, I feel free, as if I was flying. Sadly, I can’t do it any time I wish.
Meanwhile, Yoga is always at hand. I don’t even need a mat. When I’m very busy, I do 15 - 20 minutes practice. If I have the whole morning for myself, I luxuriate in 1.5 hours of yummy, mindful yoga.
Is every Yoga mindful?
Remember the difference between a brisk walk through the forest versus forest bathing? It’s the same with Yoga. Some Yoga styles are more mindfulness-friendly than others. If you do things slowly, you have time to register what is happening within you. Breath-oriented, slow-paced yoga helps you to stay here and now.
How do you do yoga? Are you staying present? Don’t get discouraged if your mind wanders away! It’s natural. Whenever you realise your mind is in the past or future, bring it back into your body. Voilà! You’re practising mindfulness!
Mindfulness daily
Find one mindful activity that works for you and stick to it. Try to sneak mindfulness into your day-to-day activities.
What’s your favourite mindful activity? Do you do your Yoga mindfully? Have you ever tried forest bathing? Let me know in the comments below.