One question I get asked a lot is: “Is there a right way to practice mindfulness?” Or “Can someone practice mindfulness wrong?”
The short answer is: Yes. And….No.
Huh?
Let me explain.
If you’re completely new to mindfulness – start here.
If you’re unfamiliar with my history/background let me start with this: It took me FOUR years to solidify my meditation practice.
You read that right – FOUR years.
I tried and tried and tried to get my meditation practice down but I wasn’t really ‘serious’ about it.
And if I’m being really honest…yoga and meditation was the “cool” thing to do so I thought I would do it to look cool to all my friends. **Rolls eyes**
All I did was listen to a YouTube video with a hot guy who had a man bun and an Australian accent and tried to erase my brain of all thoughts – which I of course – I failed at.
It wasn’t until I was 22 and experienced a corporate burnout that I decided I needed to make a change. I was working 16 hour days, coming to the office on the weekends, not taking my health into consideration, barely sleeping or putting myself to sleep by drinking 4 glasses of wine, dating guys that only created drama for me – you get the gist.
Maybe you can relate?
That is when I was introduced to mindfulness and mindfulness meditation. You can read about the difference here.
I began to educate myself by taking courses, reading books, studying medical journals (nerd alert!) listening to podcasts, following the leaders in mindfulness and using YouTube (the right way!) to find out more information.
But even with all the knowledge that I was gaining it wasn’t until I actually began practicing that I honed in on my practice and understood the benefits.
And I came to reap those benefits by practicing consistently.
So when I get emails from my readers asking me “Am I doing it wrong?” or “I’m still not taking the time to practice and I’m feeling really down on myself because I know it can help me.”
My first question is always – How consistently are you practicing mindfulness? And when I’m asking this – I’m not looking for a quantifiable term. It doesn’t matter if you’re practicing 100 times a day or 1 or 10 minutes a day or 1 hour a day.
Usually, the answer is always something like: “When I have free time” or “Here and there” or “When I can fit it into my busy schedule.”
Listen – I feel you. Life gets crazy. But we must MAKE time for the things that are important to us. Mindfulness isn’t like hot sauce where you can “sprinkle” it into your life when you feel like you need it.
It’s about consistency. That’s when life gets spicy.
Remember in grade school when we were learning multiplication?
I sucked at math! (Still do – to be honest!) So I always had to spend extra time on it. My mom would sit me down every night at 6:30, after dinner, and we would do flash cards for an hour. Over and over and over again. My teachers would give me extra worksheets that I had to do for homework every night. It was frustrating, especially because I was like 8 years old! But by the end of the school year, I had them down solid. In fact, I was SO good at my timetables that my teacher asked if I could help other students who were struggling!
(Life really does come full circle!)
So here’s the thing that I learned when I was only 8 years old rocking a training bra and wearing too much body glitter:
Consistency is KEY.
I find that the best way to become consistent at something is by practicing it at the same time every day.
You’re building a habit.
It could be as simple as sitting down at 3 pm and taking 5 minutes to sip on a cup of tea.
For me, it’s every day at 2:30 pm when I get myself away from my desk and take a walk outside. (I live in Southern California so I must take advantage of the sunshine!)
So, in short, there is not a ‘wrong’ way to practice mindfulness. There is the only inconsistency that makes mindfulness difficult.
I’ve become so passionate about mindfulness and how it can transform lives that I created a FREE 3-Day Mindfulness E-mail course.
This course is really going to break it down for you – define what mindfulness is, the science behind it and 3 foolproof ways to practice it. Oh, and there are FOUR FREE worksheets that pair with the course.
A few of my long-time readers have SO kindly spent their time taking the course and offering feedback to make sure that this course is full of value and information!
You can sign up here to guarantee your spot!
Even if you don’t sign up for the course, I hope this post helped you understand mindfulness a little better!
I feel you about math! 🙂
So glad I’m not alone!
Mindfulness has been mentioned to me so many times in order to help with my anxiety but no one has really explained to mentioned to me how it works. I’ve read books but I find them confusing and have found it hard to do.
I’m going to sign up for your course and hope it helps me to finally master mindfulness
.
Hey Karen! Thanks for signing up! This course will definitely break it down and give you the basics! I’ve probably read some of the same books you did and felt the same way – which is exactly why I wanted to create something that makes it simple and not so ‘woo-woo’
I agree Bree. Consistency is the key. I discovered mindfulness for myself about 3 years ago, read about it, tried some guided meditations. But what really did it for me was an 8-week course because it helped not only learn different techniques to turn mindfulness into a lifestyle but built the habit of practicing every day.
Hey Dorit! That’s awesome that you know about mindfulness! An 8-week course is a GREAT way to learn about mindfulness! So glad you’ve been able to find a way to practice it every day.
Recollections help a person to resist a difficult life span.
Great post! I completely agree with you. Consistency is key when trying to build any habit really. I’ve definitely struggled with it in the past, I’ve started meditating and gave up when I felt too lazy or just couldn’t prioritize it over other things. I’m still not where I want to be but at least I’m on my way :).
We ALL struggle with consistency! Even the pro’s 😉 but it’s good that you’re on your way! Keep trying! You’ve got this.
You are exactly right in saying consistency is the key. Keep it up every day. Well written post.
Hi Scott! Thanks for your feedback. I’m glad we feel the same way about consistency!
I couldn’t agree with this more! Consistency is such an important factor when it comes to..well anything! Great read.
Hot guy in a man bun LOL I love that! I needed a laugh, thank you! I can totally relate and MUST start building a habit of doing this too. Thank you for your wisdom!
Had to throw some humor in there somewhere! Lol. Glad you got a good laugh!
Love these tips! Mindfulness is something I am always working on and always hoping to work more towards, 100% agree that consistency of meditation is key.
So glad to hear you’re doing your best! There is no final destination – I don’t think anyone is 100% mindful 100% of the time but it sure does add value to our lives when we incorporate it into our lives!
The key to everything is consistency and just keep at it.
Yessssssss! So true.
This is one of those instances where an interesting question created a super interesting answer! Thanks for this insightful look at mindfulness.
Glad it was helpful Joi!
Some good advice on here. I agree about the consistency thing. I have never really managed mindfulness myself as I have always found it too difficult to divorce myself from everything.
Hi Suzanne – it’s not so much about divorcing ourselves from everything but more about diving into whatever moment we are in – good or bad- and viewing things with a sense of impermanence. Hope that helps! Xo
Yyyyeeeeeeeesssssssssssss, Bree! We must learn to make time, for the things that matter the most to us….thanks for sharing! XXOO
I agree! It’s all about what we prioritize as important!
I always need to remind myself that consistency is key! So important to make it a habit. Lovely post!
Hi Wendy! Glad you enjoyed the post. Habits are such a crucial role in our success! I’m glad you agree.
I totally get the math thing! Ironically, I married a math teacher. I thing subconsciously, I wanted someone to do my math for me. lol. You are so right, though. I am a school guidance counselor and I am always talking to students about the importance to being consistent to create habits… ESPECIALLY when something is tough and doesn’t come easy. Getting started is the hardest part.
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