Are you mindful or is your mind full?
Many of us find that our minds are full most of the time. There are many one or two minute mindfulness practices that we can do.
Being mindful takes practice. Practice doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but it does have to be done frequently to get the hang of it. You can learn to practice mindfulness in your everyday life without needing to devote a lot of time to it.
Anything you do, like washing up, doing the laundry, walking, having sex or eating a meal can be a mindful, present-moment experience. Simply immerse yourself fully in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations and textures of whatever you’re doing.
Distracting thoughts
Any moment can be a mindful one. When distracting thoughts occur, just notice them. Don’t focus on them, judge them or try to force them away. Notice, observe and release.
Imagine these thoughts are like clouds drifting across the sky, or leaves floating away down a river. This sounds simple, but it’s not always easy. It takes practice. Over and over and over again. Here’s a two minute video showing how to not be distracted by our thoughts.
Mindfulness practices can be simple and short. Or they can be more in-depth, like building your relationship on the four foundations of mindfulness. Keeping it simple at first is the best way to go. Just be aware during your everyday life.
Mindful sex
Mindful sex is when you’re totally and fully immersed in the physical sensations of your body. Practicing mindfulness during sex doesn’t mean you’ll never have distracting thoughts. Instead you can let these thoughts to go, and not be distracted by them. Simply come back to being aware of the moment you’re in. Dr. Laurie Mintz talks about how mindful sex in mind blowing sex.
To get out of your head and into the moment when having sex, notice any one of these things: the sensations in your body, what you’re touching, how being touched feels, how you’re moving, breathing, what you’re tasting, hearing and smelling. Notice how your partner is moving, sounding, touching, initiating or responding to you. Get out of your head and come to your senses.
When you’re in the moment, mindful sex is freeing and fun. When you’re able to stay in your body during sex, staying open and tuned in, you’re able to stay connected to the physical experience of mindful sex.
During mindful sex, Richard Chambers and Margie Ulbrick explain that we develop interoceptive awareness. This is awareness of our physiological and emotional states. Research shows that increased interoceptive awareness improves sexual experiences by getting us out of our heads and into our bodies.
Being mindful during sex often results in good sex. Satisfying sexual experiences have many health benefits like reducing stress, increasing mood, boosting immunity and reducing self-judgement.
Here’s a 5 minute Guided Mediation with Jon Kabat-Zinn, developer of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
