Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about mindful living. Almost every other person suggests mindfulness lectures online or in person. Furthermore, there are a lot of books and information that we might get lost in without having a full understanding of what exactly mindfulness is. It‘s not a new topic, but it has been forgotten for a long time. 

Mindfulness’ roots come from ancient eastern and Buddhist philosophies that date back 2500 years. To the west, the concept of mindfulness was introduced in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn. He created a Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSD) program and launched it at Massachusetts Medical School. This is how it was introduced to the American mainstream. 

Mindfulness is a state where you find yourself completely zen. It‘s the awareness of your thoughts, feelings, body sensations and the surrounding environment through a different, more sympathetic lens. To professor Kabat-Zinn, there are seven key attitudes to mindfulness. 

The first one is non-judging. You have to become an impartial individual to a surrounding situation. No instant judgment or reaction to the current situation. 

Mindfulness with the help of technology

The second one is patience- a word of wisdom. You have to allow yourself to wait for things to unfold without pushing too hard. 

The third one is the beginner’s mind. The difficulty in this one is that you have to let yourself feel things for the first time. Get a new, fresh outlook on the environment. 

Then, there is trust. Trust that everything is going according to plan even though it may not be the way you have imagined things in the first place. It‘s the trust of your feelings and emotions. Remember that it‘s ok to make mistakes. Let yourself be in the moment. Pay attention to what is happening without trying to change anything. 

The next one is acceptance. Act appropriately no matter what is happening. Let yourself be and see things as they are. 

The last one is letting go. When we pay attention to what is happening and we realize that we cannot change anything, we do not cling to the bad emotions or feelings. Just allow yourself to leave the experience as it is right now.

The most common practices are meditation, good sleep, physical activity, and breathing exercises. You need to get your body in sync to be able to achieve a state of mindfulness. 

Start with meditation. You can do it just simply sitting in a peaceful environment, closing your eyes and letting yourself be. Try looking into things from a different, more simple perspective. 

For a better view of the world, you need to get a good night’s sleep. Try sleeping at least seven or eight hours per night. You will soon see how your mood improves and you become more aware of your body sensations. 

Of course, we cannot forget physical activity. The best one you can do for mindfulness is yoga. Do not be afraid of it even if you are at a beginner’s stage. There are lots of yoga practices that can help you achieve a restful stage of mind. Also, you can try walking at your own pace. It is better to walk during the day, to get some sunlight into your system. It activates dopamine which helps you to become happier and it allows you to feel pleasure and satisfaction in your daily life. 

Furthermore, try breathing exercises. Deep breathing is like a love letter to yourself. Mindfulness breathing not only increases physical body and mind functions, but it also is a key to finding your own inner space. Breathing is a wonderful way to connect body, mind and soul. It is a key to inner self and mindfulness.

These days we can count on tech to help us practice mindfulness. There are countless ways that technology can assist you in doing that: different kinds of apps, trying virtual reality, having smartwatches on your wrist and other gadgets. 

Meditation, coupled with VR technologies, can be more precise and personalized and make learning easier. Also, when wearing a headset you are truly transported, making it easier to wave aside any distractions around you and focus. As well, a smartwatch could be the best device to track stress levels and heart levels. Besides, there are lots of apps that you can download into your smartwatch and you can set an alarm for a reminder to breathe.

By starting these simple steps bit by bit, you might let mindfulness into your daily life. Also, before exercise, a smartwatch can show your current heart rate and stress status and it tells you if you are ready to perform. Rapidly you will have a good sense of whether you are stressed or not even without looking at your smart gadget. Some smartwatches even have an app that tells you when to go to sleep and mutes all the disturbing messages while sleeping. 

There are a growing number of guided meditation apps out there. One of them is Yours App. There are a lot of different things to try for improving your sleep, physical exercise and trying meditation. You can also try meditation on your own by trying to have it while opening the music tab and just letting yourself breathe.

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