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Why you aren’t doing your mindfulness practice (& what you can do about it)

(4:24) Why don’t we eat more leafy greens, exercise more or floss more often? We know it’s good for us and we just don’t do it!

Put simply, our motivations have to overcome our resistances… Our reasons to do it have to outweigh our reasons not to do it!

Simple enough. Let’s look at our resistances, our blocks and how we can work to overcome them.

First, you might be resisting what you think will happen as a result of meditating. If you’re meditating to reduce stress, you might have an unconscious belief that you need stress to stay sharp and efficient. You might think that you will lose your edge if your stress level goes down. Ask yourself, “What will I lose if I meditate?” Then do some research and find out if your beliefs are true. What have other meditators experienced? What have the scientific studies found?

Second, you might be resisting actually doing the act of meditating itself. You might feel it’s too boring to do, takes too long to fit into your busy schedule, etc. There are lots of ways to address these kinds of issues including funding a practice that interests you and practicing for a shorter time. You can also have some fun setting some short-term goals for yourself and growing your sense of motivation and accomplishment that way.

See where your main resistances fall, unconscious beliefs about negative end results or issues with the logistics of your practice. Work with your resistances and overcome them by doing some research, adjusting your practice or creating motivational short term goals.

Enjoy motivating yourself!

How to Make Motivating Mindfulness Goals

(2:05) Most of us thrive when we have challenges to accomplish. Reaching our mindfulness goals is rewarding, not only because they encourage us to practice, also because we feel good about ourselves and it’s a great excuse to gift ourselves with something fun like our favorite desert or a new book.

How to make good goals?
First, make sure your goal is achievable with just a bit of stretch… Enough that it challenges you to do do your best and not so much that it is out of your reach. I suggest stretching into your “good day” practices… “On a good day I meditate for 5 minutes.” and challenging yourself to practice for 5 minutes until that becomes your new normal.

Second, track your progress on a calendar to see how well you’re accomplishing your goals & so you can begin to see patterns over time. “Every Monday I only did 4. Ah! That’s the day that I have to organize my lunches for the week… I wonder if I can make that easier so I feel I can do the whole 5 min?”

Third, decide on an end date, so you know when you’ve accomplished your goal! Then reward yourself when you get there!

Enjoy goal setting and accomplishing your them!
Happy practicing.

Field of Vision (Begin w Eyes Open) – Mindfulness Practice

(3:01) This practice is great for people who prefer to practice with their eyes open or who enjoy looking at things. Some visual artists love this and some find it too distracting to have visual input, so try it out and see what you think!

Mindfulness Practice: Field of Vision

  1. Start by becoming present to the location you are in: look around at what you can see right now.
  2. Close your eyes and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. “How am I breathing right now?”
  3. Open your eyes and look in front of you. Shift your attention to your vision and notice what you can see right now.
    1. Soften your physical eyes and your vision and begin to notice your whole field of vision. Take in your whole field of vision with a soft focus.
    2. Without needing to move your head or eyes, widen your noticing to include your peripheral vision. Notice that you can see what is in front of you as well as quite a bit to the right and left, above and below what is  in front of you.
    3. Take a few breaths here. As much as possible just notice the objects that you can see with out going into stories about them. If it helps, you can say, “Seeing” to yourself as a way to occupy your mind and remember to just look.
  4. Shift your attention back to your breath. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body.
  5. When you’re ready, open your eyes to end the practice, noticing the space that you’re in right now.

When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.

 

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below.

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and use it for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).

 

Field of Sound (Beginning with Eyes Open) – Mindfulness Practice

(3:05) This practice is great for people who are interested in sound… dj’s, singers, audio files, anyone who likes music or sound.

Mindfulness Practice: Field of Sound

  1. Start by becoming present to the location you are in: look around at what you can see right now.
  2. Close your eyes and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. “How am I breathing right now?”
  3. Shift your attention to your hearing and notice what you can hear right now. Notice for a few breaths. As much as possible just let the  sounds come and go without going into the stories of each sound. Let the sounds flow around you like water in a river. If it helps, you can repeat the word, “Listening” to yourself as a way to occupy your mind and remember to just listen.
  4. Shift your attention back to your breath. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body.
  5. When you’re ready, open your eyes to end the practice, noticing the space that you’re in right now.

When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.

 

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below.

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and use it for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).

 

Can Tracking Your Mindfulness Practice Help You?

(5:51) Definitely!

Tracking is simply noting down the date each time you practice mindfulness & any metrics you want to focus on.

Do you want to measure how your practice is helping you? Tracking, or writing down your insights and benefits each day will let you see your progress overtime.

Do you want to create some visual motivation to do your practice? Nothing like a calendar with checkmarks on the wall to motivate you to add more!

Do you want to create extra accountability? Find a friend and send them a practice report each week or month, using your notes to keep track of what to tell them.

The uses are endless!

Enjoy your practice!

Pick a Regular Time and Place to Practice Mindfulness

(4:38) Here are two great tools for helping you create a regular mindfulness practice.

First, pick a habit that you already have and use that habit to remind you to practice.

For instance, I use my daily habit of getting out of bed to remind me to practice. You could use your daily meals or exercise or commute to remind you. These are called ‘practice pairs’ and eventually your existing habit will remind you to meditate… Every time you sit down to breakfast, put on your running shoes, or get in your car or on the train you will automatically remember to practice.

What do you do every day that you can pause just before or during & practice?

Second, how to do remember to pair the practice in the first place? How do you remember to practice when you get up? Create a visual reminder.

For example, I have a notebook next to my bed that I use to track my meditation practice and when I get up it’s the first thing I see. It is a visual reminder to pause there on my bed & practice. You could put a post it note on your wall or refridgerator, a beautiful, calm picture that reminds you to meditate, a string on your running shoes, a sticker on your keys, etc. Let these visual cues remind you of your practice pair!

What visual reminders can you create around your practice pair?

Enjoy your practice!

Simple Body Scan (Begin w Eyes Open) – Guided Practice

(5:53) Body scans are a type of meditation practice that are popular in yoga and other body based modalities. This one is very simple as it scans or notices just three points in the body: feet, seat and shoulders.

This practice is great if you want help falling asleep. It is easy to do lying down, and it includes gentle muscle contraction and release which encourages the body to relax along with the mind.

Simple Body Scan

  1. Start by becoming present to the location you are in: look around at what you can see right now.
  2. Close your eyes and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. “How am I breathing right now?”
  3. Shift your attention and notice the sensations in each body part:
    1. Notice the sensations in your feet for a few breaths
    2. Notice the sensations in your seat for a few breaths
    3. Notice the sensations in your shoulders for a few breaths
  4. Shift your attention back to your breath. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body.
  5. When you’re ready, open your eyes to end the practice, noticing the space that you’re in right now.

When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and use it for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).

 

Three Breaths (Begin w Eyes Open) – Guided Practice

(4:37) My meditation practices evolve as I do, so over time what I share with you will change and grow. Here is the newest version of the Three Breath meditation that I share in my classes.

Mindfulness Practice: Three Breaths

  1. Start by becoming present to the location you are in: look around at what you can see right now.
  2. Close your eyes and gently shift your attention to your breathing. Notice your breath moving in and out of your body right now. Be curious about your breath. How am I breathing right now?
  3. Continue to notice your breath, counting 3 breaths. (Inhale + Exhale = 1 breath)
  4. Continue to notice your breathing with out counting, just resting in the quiet.
  5. When you’re ready, open your eyes to end the practice, noticing the space that you’re in right now.

When your mind wanders, as it inevitably will, gently bring it back first to presence by noticing your breath and the quiet between thoughts, and then re-focus on the heart of the practice.

 

 

To Download:

Click on the Download button below

If it does not download automatically:

  1. A new window will open with an audio player (like the player above).
  2. Right click on the player and choose “Download File” or “Download Video”
  3. iPhone users will want to first copy the meditation into iTunes (on your computer) and then sync with your iPhone.

Note that you are welcome to download and share this files as many times as you like provided you do so in it’s entirety and use it for personal or educational use only (no commercial uses).

 

Secret to Savoring Precious Moments

(3:33) Ever feel like time is flying by? Here’s a simple secret to savoring your precious moments… Drink in all your senses!

How?
When you’re standing on the beach, holding your loved one’s hand this summer, inhale slowly and take a moment to drink in all that you can see, hear, feel, taste & smell. Drink in the rich blue of the water and the fluffy white foam dancing over the top, the crash as the wave hits the wet sand, the call of the gulls and children laughing, the warmth of the sun kissing your skin, your loved ones hand softly caressing your’s, the salty tang in the air, the soft smell of sea.

It’s a great way to drink in the moment!

Re-igniting Your Mindfulness Practice

(2:46) Not practicing mindfulness these days? Here’s a quick way to get inspired again…

Grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down:

  1. Intentions: What are your intentions for your practice? Why do you want to do it? Remembering the reasons that you want to practice will help get you motivated again!
  2. Inspirations from the Past: Write down 3 things that you have gotten already from your practice. Think of 3 things that you have gained from practicing. This might be general like, “I’m more calm when I practice.” This might be specific like, “My colleague noticed that I was calmer during a meeting.” or “I was able to listen to my daughter complain with out getting upset at dinner one night.”
  3. Inspirations for the Future: Write down 3 things that you can do to inspire yourself to practice. Write down 3 things that will be fun, engaging or compelling. You might want to reward yourself with a trip to your favorite cafe after a weeks practice, decide to join a group to practice with, find some inspiring meditation videos to watch, or create a practice goal for yourself like being present for 5 full breaths.

Read what you’ve written and let your motivations, successes and ideas inspire you!

Happy practicing!