24 Hours of Mindfulness
We as Human beings daily deal with many things surrounding us and time has prevented us from stopping to appreciate their meaningful aspects. For this reason, we would like to encourage you to practice a mindfulness exercise in just 24 hours.
This activity will help us appreciate the things we enjoy and many times we tend to take for granted, without truly appreciating them until the time when we lose them.
When you get out of bed and go through your morning self-care routine, focus all your senses under the shower, feel its sensation, enjoy it and acknowledge how lucky you are to have that water that is scarce in many countries worldwide. Brush your teeth, one by one, and be thankful because they help you eat.
When you have finished showering, focus your senses on the appliances that make your life easier: coffee maker, cellphone, Internet, TV and personal computer.
Remember that mindfulness means focusing one’s awareness on what we do, without judging, sticking with or rejecting the experience.
If you are getting started with mindfulness and it is hard for you to do this 24-hour exercise, we recommend you to start with just a one-minute session a day and add some more minutes to build up to 24 hours.
Take some time right now to try this. Set your alarm for exactly one minute. For the following 60 seconds, focus your attention on your breath. For just one minute, leave your eyes open and breathe normally. You will surely get distracted several times but it does not matter, bring back your focus on your breath.
This mindful exercise is much more powerful than you think. It takes less years of practice before you are able to do mindfulness in just one minute.
You can practice this exercise several times a day to consciously bring your mind back to the present moment and find inner peace.
Take a moment to stop, appreciate and show gratitude for those small things we deal with every day. This is a way to acknowledge the life we have here and now and also acknowledge those that cannot enjoy things in the present moment.
