Practice Makes Perfect

One of the best ways to practice mindfulness is through mindfulness meditation, which involves focusing your mind in the present moment.

“It’s simply the act of paying attention to whatever you are experiencing, as you are experiencing it,” says Kate Hanley, author of “A Year of Daily Calm,” in an article for Verywell Mind. “By choosing to turn your attention away from the everyday chatter of the mind and on to what your body is doing, you give the mind just enough to focus so that it can quiet down.”

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is one of the original standardized programs for mindfulness meditation, developed by Kabat-Zinn. It focuses on awareness and attention to the present, and involves breathing practice, mental imagery, awareness of the body and mind, and muscle and body relaxation.

Stay in the present

A simple exercise, known as R.A.I.N., can help us stay in the present moment and not get caught up clinging to the experiences of others, or our own emotions.

R: Recognize. Acknowledge what is happening, just noting it in a calm and accepting manner.

A: Accept. Allow life to be just as it is, without trying to change it right away, and without wishing it were different somehow.

I: Investigate. See how it feels, whether it is making you upset or happy, giving you pleasure or pain, just note it.

N: Non-Identification. Realize that the sensations you are feeling make for a fleeting experience, one that will soon pass. It isn’t who you are.

7 evidence-based ways practicing mindfulness meditation can help children:

It gives kids the habit of focusing on the present moment and ignoring distractions.

It teaches them to stay calm in the face of life’s stressful times.

It creates good habits for the future. When faced with life’s challenges, they know they can find peace by taking a few moments to meditate.

It promotes happiness by lowering social anxiety and stress.

It promotes patience.

It can improve executive functions in their brain like cognitive control, working memory, cognitive flexibility and better grades.

It can improve attentiveness and impulse control.

By // Michelle Jacoby

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