If you think that mindfulness is just that hippy dippy stuff, sitting on the floor with your legs crossed, holding your fingers funny and saying Om, you're in for a surprise!

This is actually a formal meditation practice, where someone might sit in certain positions to focus on their breath, or on the thoughts popping in and out of their head, to practise being mindful. But it isn't the only way...

 

Mindfulness is just about learning to be in the moment - learning to notice and accept your thoughts for what they are; noise in your head, rather than orders to be followed or comments to make you feel bad. It's about using your senses to experience exactly what's happening for you right now - not thinking about the past or the future.

 

If you run, cycle, go to the gym, do pilates or walk the dog and you've found yourself totally absorbed in that moment - not planning your shopping list or thinking about that awkward conversation you had earlier - congratulations - you've been mindful! Some people use following their breathe helps them to focus; some even find that housework does it for them - it's completely individual.

 

Yes, like every new skill, mindfulness is difficult for everyone and many people find meditation is a useful tool to practise it, especially when they're starting out. But just as there are hundreds of different ways to meditate, there are even more ways to be mindful in your life - and you never have to meditate at all (unless you want to, and even then, you can do it lying down, or on the bus, or in the queue at Asda...).

 

Mindfulness is often a 'dirty' word that turns people off, with reactions like 'it's too hard', 'it's not for me' or 'I'm not interested in meditation/yoga/Buddhism/insert objection here'.

 

It may have come from Buddhism or Hinduism, but now it's practised by millions of people, completely separately from religion and it's being backed by modern science as a way to keep well that has real results. The NHS have even adopted Take Notice as one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing. And the goal is not to be perfectly mindful - it's just to practise being mindful. After all, if your mind didn't wander, how would you practise bringing it back again?

Try it out!

If you don't fancy meditation, why not try being mindful with a different activity? It could be some physical exercise or even washing up or doing some gardening. 

 

Here's how:


Focus just on what you can see, hear, smell, taste or feel and if a thought pops into your head, just say 'thought' and go back to focussing on your senses. 

A mindful shower is a lovely place to start practising - it's something you probably do most days and there are so many senses you can easily focus on.

 

Click on the image for a printable version.


Remember, mindfulness is NOT about having an empty mind, it's just practising being here, now and not judging yourself for having thoughts, feelings or for getting distracted by them.

 

No, it's not as easy as it sounds, but the more you do it, the easier it gets and just by practising you are changing your thought patterns. You might even notice a difference in how you experience strong feelings like anxiety or anger if you do it regularly.

 

Here are links to some more of the ways you can try mindfulness, right here on the Wellbeing Hub.

  • #WellbeingWednesdays with Ruth at 1.30pm on Teams - ask a member of the team for the link
  • #WellbeingWednesdays on demand via YouTube - as a member of the team for the link
  • Breathing exercises
  • Grounding exercises

 

Here are some of the ways that people across Persona 'do' mindfulness.

Here are some ways to try mindfulness now:

 

 

A selection of four 30 second videos from We Are Undefeatable, suitable for all abilities. Click here.

Gym free workouts from the NHS including seated workouts, neck & back exercises and a sofa workout. Click here.

 

 

Breathing exercises to try wherever you are, including the square breathing technique that Ruth teaches. Click here.

An 18 minute relaxation download that is as refreshing as a quick snooze. Click here.

 

 

A visualisation to help you find your safe place, where you can feel calm and relax. Click here.

Finding a meditation that works for you is very personal, so we've included a selection of UK and US providers.

If one doesn't work for you, just try another one.

Remember it's OK to find this challenging - it's the act of bringing your thoughts back to what you're focussing on that makes up your meditation practice, so don't think you have to have an empty mind for it to be doing you good.

UCLA Health (US)

Oxford Mindfulness (UK)

Headspace free Covid resources (UK)

Calm free Covid resources (US)

Breathworks (UK)