6 Ways To Practice Mindfulness That Don’t Involve Watching Your Breath

Watching your breath is difficult.

But it’s the first style of mindfulness and meditation introduced to most beginners — which presents a difficult barrier to entry for many. Even for the most seasoned meditator, focusing on the breath can be challenging. It can cause erratic, unnatural breathing, and to be honest, become boring quickly.

Below are some other ways to practice mindfulness that give you the same benefits of relaxed alertness, open awareness, and kind intention.

1. Focus on the connection of your feet with the floor.

This is a grounding technique that immediately connects you with the present moment. You can also use any of your other body’s connection points by sensing your body in the chair, clothes against your skin, hands on your lap, etc.

2. Focus on your tongue on the floor of your mouth.

This relaxes the hypoglossal nerve that runs from your tongue into the vagal nerve, which signals your whole body to relax. Let your tongue rest loosely on the floor of your mouth, and notice how relaxed it gets.

3. Focus on the space between your eyebrows.

This area, known as the “third eye,” is an energy center of wisdom. When you do this, you’ll notice your eyes will begin looking slightly upwards. This position of the eyes creates alpha brainwaves which trigger relaxation.

4. Listen for the faintest sound in the room.

This is a fun one especially if hearing is one of your predominant senses. Don’t let the mind hunt for sounds. Listen with curiosity to the sounds around you, outside the room, or even imagined ones in your mind.

5. Focus on the feelings in your hands

The hands are one of the easiest access points to experiencing your aliveness and the flow of energy through your body. Awareness of your hands is awareness of your creative energy.

6. Repeat the mantra: “I’m home.”

This mantra aims to establish a sense of security within yourself no matter how you are feeling. By affirming “I’m home” we remind ourselves we are never lost or adrift, and can always find a place of safety and comfort within ourselves.

General Tip

I recommend choosing one of these techniques that seem most natural to you and making it your primary anchor to return to the present moment in your practice. In time, after you have been practicing for a while, have a session in which you go back to watching the breath. You might notice it is now easier to observe.

Ultimate Mindfulness Challenge

Try focusing on all of your five senses simultaneously.

All at once, see what you see, hear what you hear, feel what you feel, smell what you smell, and taste what you taste.

Allow your perception to become a symphony with all your senses singing and buzzing in harmony throughout your being.

It’s easier than you think.

My free 5-Senses Meditation will guide you through this process:

And here are some more tips you might find useful in deepening your meditation practice: