Key Components of Practicing Mindfulness

Name: Key Components of Practicing Mindfulness
Author: Michelle Gifford

Explore the practical applications of different mindful meditation techniques

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Course: On-Demand

(soft music) Welcome to key components of practicing mindfulness. In these lessons, you'll explore different techniques of mindfulness and meditation. You will learn how to focus on the present, practice breathing exercises, identify your body's internal sensations and differentiate between external sensations. Relaxation, when you're in the right mind space can heal your mind and body, increase your energy levels, generate internal peace and promote creativity and inspiration. Relaxation doesn't necessarily mean going on vacation, or sleeping in, relaxation is a state of expansion and letting loose. The ideal way to relax is to relax intentionally, or conscious relaxation. In order to do this, you must become aware of your mind and body, and then practice letting go of those thoughts that are stuck in your mind. By doing this, you produce a deep relaxation state and eventually with more practice, this will become second nature. You will be able to reach levels of relaxation you didn't know existed, let's practice. You'll first learn how to intentionally relax your mind followed by relaxation of your body, and then you'll learn how to combine them. Let's talk about how the brain works with your thoughts. On a moment to moment basis, your mind produces many thoughts and your attention gets caught between those thoughts. It jumps from one thought to another. Imagine yourself thinking about what to make for dinner. The moment you give attention to the thought about dinner, the more that thought becomes stronger and then you start to generate other thoughts stemming off that one. You may start to think about what meals you've already prepared this week. If you should add more vegetables to your dinner, or meet or go meatless, or what time everyone will be home, so you know when to start the dinner and so on and so forth. This can cause distress the longer it goes on. So how do you consciously relax your mind? Try to avoid paying so much attention to your thoughts. Here are two tips you can try to better practice this. Divert your attention from to a sensation. For example, move your attention from your thoughts to your breathing. Pay close attention to the air hitting your nostrils, and the warmth of the breath as you exhale. This can help quiet your brain. The more you do this, the more relaxed your brain becomes. And defocus your attention, disconnect from everything around you. Close your eyes and observe with no judgment, or interpretation. In diverting attention, you go from doing to being to simply observing and letting it be. Next, get in touch with your body to relax it. Body scanning is essentially feeling your body from within and then relaxing the areas where you feel tension. To do this, close your eyes and turn your attention toward your body. Start from the top and scan your entire body to feel where your attention is most drawn to. Those areas are where healing is needed. Here are some common areas to focus on, your head, your neck, your shoulders, your heartbeat, your abdomen and your arm and leg muscles. You may feel some emotions as you do this practice, it's okay to feel them. As you feel them, these emotions may start to release. As with most things, combining these two practices is the best form of relaxation. To do this, consciously relax your body as you meditate. Meditation can be focused on those tense areas and on breathing or it can be focused on nothing, just stay aware of your body and relax the areas that are tense.

Essential Provider : Michelle Gifford 7 Lessons · 22m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Focus and intention are key elements of mindfulness. Breathing while focusing can be a great way to meditate mindfully, whether you’re a beginner or you’ve been meditating for some time. There are many benefits in focusing on your breathing while meditating.

Listening to your body is also important in achieving physical and mental health. When you listen to your internal sensations, you’re able to focus primarily on the moment. This allows you to be aware of yourself on a physical level. When you’re able to recognize how your body reacts to certain emotions or situations, you may have the ability to develop a plan of addressing those reactions to bring yourself back to the present moment.

In these lessons, we’ll explore the practical applications of different mindful meditation techniques. You’ll discover that part of accepting meditation as a means of finding calm is to focus on the present and learn techniques to block out current distractions and anxieties that shape the future.

What You'll Learn

Focus on the present and block out distractions and the pressures of the future
Practice different breathing exercises to help calm the mind
Identify internal sensations of the body
Differentiate between external sensations around the body to achieve a more authentic awareness
Apply mindful meditation techniques such as conscious relaxing and focused attention
Cultivate pure awareness by listening to your body and recognizing how it reacts to emotions or situations

Key Takeaways

Focus and intention are key elements of practicing mindfulness.
Breathing while focusing can be an effective way to meditate mindfully, whether you are a beginner or an experienced meditator.
Listening to your internal sensations helps you focus on the present moment and become aware of yourself on a physical level.
Recognizing how your body reacts to certain emotions or situations can help you develop a plan to bring yourself back to the present moment.
Accepting meditation as a means of finding calm involves focusing on the present and learning techniques to block out current distractions and anxieties about the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn in this course?

You will learn how to focus on the present and block out distractions and future pressures, practice different breathing exercises to calm the mind, identify internal sensations of the body, and differentiate between external sensations around the body to achieve a more authentic awareness.

Is this course suitable for beginners?

Yes. The course explains that breathing while focusing can be a great way to meditate mindfully whether you are a beginner or you have been meditating for some time.

What topics or lessons does this course cover?

The course covers Conscious Relaxing, Focused Attention, Breathing, Internal Sensations, External Sensations, and Pure Awareness, and includes a Test Your Knowledge section.

How does this course approach meditation?

It explores the practical applications of different mindful meditation techniques, focusing on the present and learning techniques to block out current distractions and anxieties that shape the future.

Why is listening to your body important in this course?

Listening to your internal sensations allows you to focus primarily on the moment and be aware of yourself on a physical level, which supports both physical and mental health.