How to Ace Your Mindfulness Practice

Learning to be present, reflect, and prepare.

Chances are you are intrigued by mindfulness. By now, you have probably heard about mindfulness or meditation and are wondering what the hype is all about.

Maybe like me, you want to explore mindfulness, but don’t quite understand what it is. Or you are feeling apprehensive as perhaps you may have heard about the difficulties in getting started. It’s even possible that you have given it an earnest try and felt doubtful about if it’s actually working for you.

Mindfulness is about becoming aware of one’s experiences. It can involve developing an awareness of our body, our thoughts, our feelings, and our actions.

Our mind craves coherence like Luke Skywalker craves adventure. There’s a constant drive for our brain to connect the dots of our moment to moment experiences. Our effort to make sense of our experiences lies behind this unconscious “connecting the dots” process.

It is beneficial to understand our present experiences as they connect with our past and to imagine their impact on our future. We can learn from our past and plan for our future. It also explains our bursts of creative insight, and our remarkable ability to feel, for example, our close friend’s unhappiness when she’s having a hard time.

That unconscious effort, that internal drive to understand and make sense of the world, can’t be overestimated — and it may be the most compelling sign of the adaptive and prosocial nature of the unconscious mind. However, the one thing it can keep us from is — Living in the present. Mindfulness brings our awareness to the present moment.

The practice of mindfulness is essentially a practice to live fully by separating moments — living in the present, learning from our past, and preparing for our future.

This article is not — how to meditate — much better versions have previously appeared elsewhere. There are several methods to get started in mindfulness or meditation, and you might have to try several ways to find the one that resonates with you. It is also worth noting that a wide range of experiences is possible when engaging in the meditative process and that it may not be the right approach for everyone. I found it helpful to have support from a teacher experienced with meditation, to guide me as I was starting to explore meditation. A meditation group or a meditation circle might also be helpful. I encourage you to try various methods, and hopefully, you might find one that makes sense and works for you.

So how do I improve my practice of mindfulness? It has been a journey over several years of trying several apps, meditation classes, retreats, various books, and teachers. I now envision mindfulness as an ongoing life construction with three core pillars: Awareness, Contemplation, and Enthusiasm. When I focus on each of the three components, it strengthens my mindfulness practice.

Awareness of the present moment. Awareness is choosing this moment right now. For example, right now, take a moment to be aware of your contact with the chair you are sitting, Or to notice the sound of air-conditioning. That’s it; it’s as simple — this is awareness. You can choose to do this as you go through your day today. Take three short breaks in your day to be AWARE of your experience.

Awareness can also mean noticing or observing sensations in your body — for example, the touch of the keyboard on your finger-tips. Or being aware of the feeling of water touching your hands as you wash them. Or take the first bite into fresh fall apples. Or seeing the rise and fall of your chest as your breath expands. Or taking a moment to take in the sights and smells of your office or hearing the winds blow past your window — choosing to be aware of the PRESENT.

When you see your mind drifting as it most certainly would choose to bring it back for a specified period. Commit to starting with few times a day for 30 sec each — you can do this, and it might change your brain — literally!

Contemplation of thoughts and feelings. Whether via sitting meditation or via journaling your thoughts and feelings, one can become increasingly aware of the automatic nature of our thinking and how it influences what we feel.

The contemplation of feelings is a two-step process. First, there needs to be a mindful awareness of the emotions, and second, an attempt to label them as pleasant, unpleasant (painful), or neutral, respectively. With time and practice, it becomes easier to see with clarity and to observe, label, and manage those emotional responses. If you develop a habit of journaling your feelings, the connection between thoughts and actions behind them becomes more natural to note.

For example, let’s say, you were looking forward to seeing your best friend “Sara” and she canceled last minute with an insufficient explanation. Try taking a moment and acknowledge all the feelings that may exist at that moment. You might experience sadness, disappointment, anger, and maybe even relief or joy.

Label the feelings, remain curious about what you might be telling yourself internally in an automatic manner. Might you be blaming yourself for “I should know better,” or “My evening is ruined,” or be grateful for “this saves me time to work on my article,” or perhaps questioning your friendship, “I’m never going to make plans with her again”? Understanding the link between our thoughts and feelings helps to determine what drives our automatic emotional responses. It can also show us how they might be keeping you from doing what you TRULY want to do.

Enthusiasm for skillful actions. With training the mind in awareness and contemplation, comes enthusiasm for skillful action — in line with sustainable ways of living, relating, and working on one’s cherished values.

Once you commit to taking awareness breaks and contemplation via journaling, it becomes clearer what you value most. For example, If you consistently note unpleasant feelings when you are around a particular activity or in the company of specific individuals, you may decide to limit your time spent. Instead, focus on doing something that you love, for example, choosing to write instead. It’s easier to be more enthusiastic about doing activities that bring about good feelings.

At the core of mindfulness is the ability to be intentional — be it in our thoughts or actions and using our emotions as our guide. It involves developing habits that make it easier to separate moments, to live in the present, to reflect and learn from our past, and to enthusiastically prepare for the future. It starts with one’s commitment to practice awareness, contemplating on what shows up, and generating enthusiasm to do what is fulfilling. With these guidelines in mind, I have been able to ACE mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness is simple BUT not easy — Go Ahead and give it a try!