This is the last of ten mindfulness practices designed to help you increase emotional balance and presence in the current moment.
If we live without awareness and contact with the present moment,
Life can pass us by.
We miss the moments in life that give the most meaning because we're always looking towards the next moment,
Which we'll miss when it arrives.
This planning,
Striving,
And future orientation is what the mind does.
It's part of what makes the mind so amazing.
But it also limits our capacity for awareness,
Growth,
And meaning.
Mindful living is the key to living life to its fullest.
If you've participated in these ten mindfulness exercises,
It's likely that you are noticing the present moment more fully.
There's evidence that consistency of practice,
Rather than the length of time of a single meditation session,
Is associated with the greatest improvements in emotional resilience and well-being.
In addition,
Balancing meditations focused on the body and breath with loving-kindness,
Self-compassion,
And acceptance-based meditations is also associated with the greatest long-term benefits.
As you reflect on your experience during each of these practices,
Consider how valuable each was in helping increase your awareness of the present.
The key is to find those that resonate with you and then develop a plan to consistently practice those with the greatest value.
If you practice on a consistent basis,
You can transform mindfulness from a temporary state to an enduring personal trait.
The more you practice,
The more awareness you'll develop.
You'll be better able to observe your thoughts and accept unwanted emotions.
You'll be more fully aware of the alignment between your values and behaviors.
And you'll live life more fully by discovering a contentment and peace that can be found in the present moment.
You can also integrate informal practices into your daily activities,
Particularly when life is busy,
You feel overwhelmed,
Or are out of time.
These simple practices can immediately connect you to the present moment and provide an anchor of emotional stability and balance.
Connecting with the sensations in the body is an excellent way to do this.
When you're washing your hands,
You can mindfully notice the sensations of the water.
When you're in a car,
You can observe the sensations in your hands on the steering wheel or wherever they rest.
When you're sitting at a desk,
You can notice the feelings of touch and pressure where your legs and back connect with the chair.
An informal meditation practice you can use in the busy moments of your day is called Finding Your Feet.
It's a brief one-minute exercise that you can do anywhere,
And it's an anchor that immediately connects you to the present moment,
And it's a practice that provides emotional balance and stability.
This is a simple yet powerful practice that can help you live more mindfully.
Before we practice this together,
Let's reflect on the words of T.
S.
Eliot that I believe profoundly capture the journey we make as we complete a mindfulness program and have an increased capacity to live a more mindful life.
He wrote,
We shall never cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
Let's conclude our meditation by practicing Finding Your Feet together.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Slightly bend your knees.
Find a position of balance.
Adjust your body to find added stability.
You might widen your feet or tighten the muscles in your abdomen or core.
When you've found this stable,
Secure position,
Take a deep,
Intentional breath and let it go.
Shift your attention to the sensations in your feet.
Notice the touch and pressure where your feet make contact with the ground.
Shift your weight slightly between your feet,
Observing the sensations of pressure and grounding.
Notice your awareness of this moment.
Widen your awareness to the environment around you and carry this awareness with you into the coming moments of your day and throughout the coming moments of your life.
