How to Follow Mindfulness and Cultivate Your Attention

Learn how to follow mindfulness & cultivate attention with these simple exercises & tips! Discover how micropractices throughout the day can help focus attention back on what really matters - yourself!

How to Follow Mindfulness and Cultivate Your Attention

In a world that is constantly on the go, it can be difficult to take the time to slow down and really think about what you are doing. To help with this, it is important to intentionally give open, tolerant, and demanding attention to everything you do. Treat yourself as you would treat a good friend and focus on your breathing. Get comfortable and start breathing deeply, slowly, and evenly.

Make sure your abdomen moves up and down as you breathe. Be aware of what happens in your body when the breath enters and then when it comes out of you. Acknowledge any thoughts that come up, but then let them go. If your mind starts to wander, simply recognize that it has happened, recognize where it went, and gently refocus on your breathing. Be there without rushing things or moving on to the next part of the day.

This can be difficult, but remember that no matter what happens is OK. Look at it, let it go, and then let it go. The second exercise involves following inhalation and exhalation throughout the process. It doesn't matter if they are short or long. The important thing is that you follow your breathing from start to finish.

Let's say you're breathing and then think, “Oh, I forgot to turn off the light in my room.” There is an interruption. Just hold your breath until the end. Then you cultivate your mindfulness and focus. If you continue like this, your breathing will naturally become deeper and slower, harmonious and peaceful. You don't have to make any effort, it happens naturally.

As you move from one activity to the next throughout the day, it can be difficult to be aware. You can get back on track by pausing throughout the day to practice some basic mindfulness exercises. Since ending our addiction to technology is a much bigger task (and a topic for another blog), we need to develop practices in our daily lives to return to what really matters. While there's nothing better than a good mindfulness meditation, it can sometimes be difficult to dedicate 20 to 30 minutes to meditation in our busy lives. Instead, we can create micropractices throughout the day to focus our attention.

The body works without your participation: you breathe automatically, your heart beats continuously, and your body functions continue to work regardless of what you do. But the body constantly sends us messages through the sensations of the body. Take a moment and check with your body - what do you notice? Where do you keep your blood pressure? Do you have aches or pains? Do you feel heavy or light? Focusing your attention on your body can help realign your attention to the present moment, but it also connects you to the information you need to better care for yourself. For more tips on how to rely on body wisdom, check out my new course on how to develop more confidence. The second exercise is that as you inhale, you follow your breathing from start to finish. This helps cultivate mindfulness and focus so that your breathing will naturally become deeper and slower, harmonious and peaceful. It is important to remember that no matter what happens is OK - look at it, let it go, and then let it go.

Throughout the day create micropractices that help focus attention back on what really matters - yourself! By taking a few moments each day for mindfulness exercises such as following inhalation and exhalation or checking in with your body sensations, you can create a more mindful life for yourself.