Mindfulness is the art of relaxing the mind through the breath.
It is the act of focusing on the breath and being aware of it, to bring our mind into the present moment. To be able to slow our reactions down so we feel calm, balanced, and able to deal with life better.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a simple form of meditation; it puts our attention on our breath which is the life force energy that flows in, out and through our body.
By focusing on the breath, it allows us to observe our thoughts as they arise in our mind and to slowly let go of them without overthinking.
Using the breath, we can take control of our autonomous nervous system (ANS) and switch out of our fight or flight mode (sympathetic nervous system) that many of us live in and switch into our rest and digest mode (parasympathetic nervous system) leaving us feeling calmer and more balanced.
We can then think in a less reactive and more rational way.
Are you present in the moment?
- Do you focus on the future?
- Worry about what might happen?
- Where you want to be?
- Are you always in a rush?
These things can cause anxiety, stress, and have a knock-on effect to our health.
Mindfulness & breathwork are free and effective with no nasty side effects. Certain types of breath work can give you the most incredible natural high that calms everything in our bodies. I have found real clarity in problems when I have done this type of breathwork. (See holotropic breathing section under breathe heading for more details)
It is vital that we stay present with our reality, regardless of whether our situation is good, bad, or indifferent. This prevents overthinking, anxiety and enables us to focus on what is happening in the present moment.
If you are not present in the moment you cannot enjoy how good, it is OR deal with issues that are not going away. We spend hours thinking of what might happen and usually it never does, so our minds are worrying over nothing!
This works really well in conversation; focus on listening and engaging rather than thinking of what you’re going to say next. Be in the moment, it’s amazing how much better the communication will be.
Mindfulness can’t be found in the future, it’s all about the present.
As we are in the present, let’s get started now.
Always focus on breathing through your nose, we are not mouth breathers. (Explained in detail in the breathe section)
- Take a slow breath in, breath first into your abdomen then fill your lungs up into your chest, through the nose for a count of 4 seconds
- Release the breath slowly through the nose for 6 seconds (focus on counting your breath to yourself as this keeps you present)
- Brief natural pause after the exhale then repeat for a minimum of two, but ideally five minutes
For me I like to imagine a breath coming up through my body as I breathe in, from my root chakra through all energy centres to my crown chakra at the top of my head. Then exhale all the way down through my energy centres right to the bottom of my feet, so the exhale is longer.
This breathing technique causes the vagus nerve to reduce the heart rate and blood pressure and to switch into the parasympathetic nervous system.
Focussing on the breath allows us to be in the present moment. This takes practice and I’ve heard many people comment “I know how to breathe,” however many of us have actually lost the correct technique for breathing functionally. (See Breathe section for videos)
Throughout the day focus on breathing consciously through the nose. Practice controlled slow breathing, when sitting at a desk, on a train, bus, watching television or just before bed. Start to become aware of how you are breathing.
Through practising several rounds of the above exercise, the mind will calm, and the anxiety will start to diminish. The benefit is that no-one is aware you’re doing it (your breathing should always be almost unnoticeable).
The more we practice the more automatic it becomes and before you know it, you are less anxious, more alert, more focussed and less stressed as a result.
Mindfulness is a quick, effective, and free way of improving your mood.
These additional mindfulness techniques are very beneficial.
- On awakening, as you open your eyes, state what you are grateful for, while slowly consciously breathing. This can be something as simple as being grateful for opening your eyes, or your warm bed. Repeat this before you go to sleep at night.
- Take a slow walk into nature, barefoot, if possible, to connect with the earth,
- look at and smell the flowers
- Listen to the birds and wind in the trees
- Use all the senses and take in the moment and let the rest of the world wait while you take in its beauty.
- Heightening the senses, this can be done literally anywhere and anytime.
- If you’re in the shower, smell the shampoo or body wash,
- feel the water flowing over your body,
- see the water droplets on the glass or tiles, maybe do some gratitude or thanks at this time.
Crisis or serious decision making
If your faced with a difficult decision, never act in haste. If you can, do some mindfulness and breathwork.
Give yourself time, space and always listen to your inner voice. Your intuition is the trust in yourself which will enable you to make the right decision for your life path.
Using the breath to;
- let things be and observe,
- leave things just as they are
- be non-judgemental and let go of trying to control something
- using acceptance and neutrality are very powerful to protect our energy, space and to keep the power within us, rather than giving it away to others.
If we can use mindfulness to calm the mind and let go, it becomes easier to trust that things will work out the way they’re supposed to.
Then we can start to enjoy each moment more. After all that’s what life is supposed to be about, fulfilment and joy!!!
Easy practices for expanding consciousness
Meditation – Is a wonderful practice to sit quietly and reconnect with self. All the answers we seek are within us. Find a meditation practice that suits you. It takes commitment to take up meditation, as it may not come easily at first. Do some research and try different ones. Meditation is also great for communicating with our guides and higher dimensional beings.
Prayer – Prayer is a type of meditation, through thoughts and words, spoken to God as a spiritual communication, usually for thanks, gratitude, adoration or to seek guidance.
Breathe- Certain types of breathing techniques, like holotropic releases dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and other chemicals which naturally occurs in the brain. These can be incredibly beneficial in opening up gateways to other dimensional planes and to connect with our higher self.
Nature – Get out in nature as much as you can. Don’t rush, use mindfulness techniques to really connect, listen, smell, see and touch everything that is around you.
Gratitude – Doing gratitude daily for what we have, expands our consciousness. It will attract more of what we are thankful for. When we are grateful, we appreciate life and are happier from the inside out.
Intuition – Following our intuition is the best way to stay on our life path. We are guided even if we aren’t aware of it. Our intuition, gut instinct is our higher self, guiding us and not listening to our ego mind.
Breathwork with intension – On waking each morning, take 5 deep slow controlled breaths, breath in unconditional love for all, while on the exhale breath out doubt or fear. This over time becomes a very powerful way to let go of what doesn’t serve us.
Intuition
In modern day life, we have given away our power and trust in ourselves. We seek answers from friends, family, google, work colleagues, TV, SM and celebrities. One of the last places we look is within ourselves.
Our Intuition or gut instinct is our superpower, it is there to guide, protect and keep us safe. The cells in our body react to situations, to energy both good and bad. We can walk into a room and feel the energy. If it is bad our intuition will guide us usually to leave. However, we don’t always listen to it. Have you ever been in a relationship where you had red flags early on, but you stayed in it hoping you are wrong? Then when it finally broke up you said to yourself, I should have listened to my gut ages ago. Once you start trusting yourself and your intuition, everything will start to fall into place, life flows almost effortlessly.
Discernment
When we start trusting our intuition and in turn trust ourselves, the use of discernment starts to develop, it is the power within to see what may not always be evident to another mind. A person that looks outside themselves for answers lacks discernment. They can be influenced, manipulated, and make poor decisions.
A person using discernment is able to exhibit good judgement, perception, and insight by being able to grasp what may be obscure to others. It is linked to our intuition, what you resonate with, the flow of energy and our gut instinct. It is trusting ourselves.
When we develop these forgotten skills, we become empowered, self-aware and our lives flow with more balance.
PHOENIX HOLISTIC WELLNESS IS Our life path
This is why our practices are offered on a value for value model.
Which means you pay what the treatment is worth to you and what you can afford, as we want everyone to benefit from these practices designed for health & wellbeing but made with unconditional LOVE!
