Lately, on the Hairdolini blog, we have been discussing meditation and how to be more mindful. Mindfulness is something that we all can experience — it isn’t just for those who buy crystals, practice yoga, or who have chosen to be vegan. Mindfulness is for everyone. Also, mindfulness is something that won’t just provide mental benefits but could improve your health and could even change your life. Today, we are going to show you how to practice mindfulness in your life.
5 Ways to Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness isn’t necessarily a destination: we don’t just become mindful and stay in the state of mindfulness unless we practice it on a consistent basis. Here are a few ways to practice mindfulness in your life. To learn more about what mindfulness is, read our last post, “What is Mindfulness?”
Meditate
Meditation isn’t just for slightly-built Buddhist monks living on a mountain; it is a practice that everyone can benefit from and can be practiced in a variety of ways. Meditation can be done through sitting still, but it can also be accomplished through simply taking a deep breath and taking in your surroundings. Learn more about the various types of meditation on our recent blog post, “What is Meditation?”
Kundalini Yoga
Yoga has often been called meditation in motion as it focuses on coordinating breath with movement and allows the practitioner to enter a meditative state as a result of their practice. Kundalini yoga, like other forms, allows you to strengthen your body, enjoy greater flexibility, and find pain relief. It also focuses heavily on choosing a mantra and repeating that mantra throughout the practice. Join us on Wednesday’s to experience the benefits of Kundalini yoga.
Practice Self-Care
Self-care isn’t just something that you practice by going to the salon to “get your nails did.” It is about taking care of yourself. Self-care involves doing things that bring nourishment to your body, mind, and soul. That can include going to the spa, but it can also include taking time to journal, enjoy a day of watching your favorite TV show, going on a scenic drive, and spending time with friends or family who build you up. Find out what feeds your soul and spend time regularly doing that.
Take a Break & Rest
Living more mindfully often means, accepting that you are human, you have limits, and as a result, need to take time to rest. Often we don’t take a moment to rest until our body is telling us that we need to stop by becoming sick. Thankfully, most of us only experience a head cold when we become sick, but if we ignore our body’s and mind’s need to rest, we could experience chronic illnesses. Be sure to schedule downtime for yourself every week and everyday. Downtime can include simply doing nothing, sleeping in, or immersing yourself in a favorite book or movie.
Take Care of Your Body
Though this could be put under the “self care” category, we wanted to mention it separately. Taking care of your body isn’t just about working out or doing physical activity. It’s about being active, but also taking care of your body through providing it time to rest and the nutrients that it needs. Sometimes when we aren’t feeling mentally well, it may be due to the fact that our body may not be feeling well either. The body and mind are connected — to feel like your best self, be sure to treat your body to nutrients, activity, and rest.
Many of these “practices” are focused on taking care of the self and there is a good reason for it. Self care is not only something we need, but it provides us the energy and desire to give to others willingly and happily.
If you would like to experience a more mindful life, visit the Hairdolini website. Our hairstylist offers a meditative experience if you schedule a hair appointment with her. Additionally we offer Kundalini yoga classes and meditation classes. Learn more and join us!