One straightforward method for integrating a mindful meditation into our daily life is to take the time when you eat or drink to do just that!
Consider during the day the habits that you may have built up around mealtimes.
When you take breakfast, what else are you doing?
Do you automatically take your lunch to the computer, or open your phone as soon as you start eating?
When you eat dinner, do you immediately take it to the sofa and turn on the TV?
When you have tea or coffee, do you immediately go to do something else while you are drinking?
It can be beneficial to slow down and focus on the action of eating or drinking.
Mindful eating helps you to step out of the busyness and take an objective view. It assists you in begin able to be more aware as you are enjoying your food and also to have the mindspace to consider where the food and drink has come from, and thereby cultivate the mind of gratitude.
When you first try this practice, if you are familiar with multi-tasking, there may be resistance in your mind. A sense that you are depriving yourself of something, that you are missing out, a feeling of boredom. Try to let these thoughts pass and bring your attention to the present moment; in the same way that you would do if you were sitting and practising meditation.
Once you get into the habit of mindful eating, you will find that you have a clearer mind during the day and have been able to process stress and anxiety, because you have given yourself the chance to stop.
Try it out and let me know how you progress!
Written by Adam Dacey