Practising mindfulness is my go-to mood restoring activity. It is something I’m learning to build into my everyday tasks. I know I’m a happier, calmer, and more productive version of myself when I do my jobs mindfully.
I've learnt that the benefits of mindfulness don’t have to be all or nothing. Little steps can bring about noticeable benefits.
Here I’d like to share three small ways I add mindfulness to my everyday activities that might inspire you to try a little mindfulness for yourself.
The Power of Baking with Mindful intent, which I wrote with Dr Susan Rowe, we matched the recipes of cakes I crave when I’m in a certain mood with mindfulness practices that Susan wrote for me.
For example, I feel like Torta Caprese, a flourless chocolate cake, when I need inspiration but always feel terrible baking and eating it as it's a rich chocolate cake.
Susan’s exercise of Mindfully Enjoying helped me learn to pay attention to the physical experience of eating and my inner experience as I nourished my body.
This is a practice that allows me to enjoy having me-time while permitting myself to enjoy mindfully. The result is a calmer, happier and more creative me
It’s about the way I do things, not just the result
A book that introduced me to the idea that mindfulness was not all about candles and Zen poses in quiet rooms, was How to Eat by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, known as the Father of Mindfulness.
It’s a delightful little book of simple wisdom on including mindful practice into your everyday activities especially preparing and eating food.
The book contains many pearls of wisdom, but for me, these are my favourite thoughts.
“When we eat, we usually think. We can enjoy our eating a lot more if we practice not thinking while we eat. We can just be aware of the food.”
To develop mindfulness, we do the same things we always do – walking, sitting, working, eating and so on. When we’re eating, we are only eating, not thinking about work. When we are walking, we are only walking. It’s about being in the moment, the now, not worrying about the past or planning the future.
Each spoonful contains the universe
“Pay attention to each spoonful of food. As you bring it up to your mouth, use your mindfulness to be aware that this food is the gift of the whole universe. The Earth and sky have collaborated to bring a spoonful of food to you. While breathing in and out you only need a second or two to recognise this.”
Turning off the TV
Sometimes people eat while watching TV. But even if you turn off the TV, the TV is in your mind continues to run. So you have to also stop the TV in your head.”
For me, this is a challenging practice that I’m continuing to master. I plan to not eat in front of the television during May as part of my Mindful in May practice.
Mindful In May 2022
If you need a bit of structure to support you in new things or would like to improve your mindfulness practice with others, then participating in Mindful In May could be just the thing for you.
Mindful in May is the project of Dr Elise Bialylew, is the author of the bestselling book, The Happiness Plan, and is one of the world’s most extensive online global mindfulness fundraising campaigns.
You sign up and donate to help raise funds for clean water, and in return, you receive access to world-class mindfulness education, tools, and support to build a meditation practice in one month. Just 10 minutes a day will bring results.
Dr Elise Bialylew is a doctor trained in psychiatry turned social entrepreneur and mindfulness expert; she’s passionate about supporting individuals and organisations to develop inner tools for greater wellbeing and flourishing and offers workshops and training at The Mind Life Project.
Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, New York Times, and Australian Television. The Australian Financial Review recently recognised her as a 2019 AFR Women of Influence. Her site can be found here.
Celebrate Mindful in May - Gift with Purchase offer.
To celebrate all things mindful, I’m offering a limited gift with every purchase of The Power of Baking with Mindful Intent book from the site. The investment will include membership to the 12 just4Me bake Club videos of the cakes featured in the book. Over two hours of award-winning, television-quality, video tutorials are free with the book purchase.
Mindfulness is simple and effective but needs your attention to reward you.
I hope I’ve inspired you to find new ways to include its practice in your everyday. For me, this May I will be turning off the TV while I eat… what are you going to try?
