Kindfulness is HOT HOT HOT right now...
/In my last blog post, you discovered that mindfulness without kindness and compassion….kinda sucks.
In this post, you’re gonna discover HOW to mix up your mindfulness with kindness.
So, number one, notice the effect of your ‘practice’, whatever that is - meditation, yoga, mindful movement, consciously swimming backwards with one arm.
Whatever your thing is, notice how you feel afterwards.
If you feel warm, fuzzy, relaxed, calm and generally happy with yourself, you’re probably mixing a mindful awareness with compassion. Well done you! You’re awesome!
If you feel relieved that you can finally stop meditating or mindful walking, or whatever your thing is, you’re probably trying too hard. And lacking in friendliness.
If that’s you, try these three easy peezy steps to get you lovin’ your daily ‘me time’:
As you’re meditating, place your hand on your heart. The warmth of your hand encourages a compassion feeling to whatever you’re focusing on.
- Smile (please). This is mindful time for you, not self-tourture. And if you can't smile, use your two fingers to push up the corners of your mouth and hold them there for a while….I’m serious!
- Pay attention to whatever your focus is, using your heart, not just your head. Feel the breath with emotion if you can, rather than noticing the sensation in a cold, non-judgmental way.
- Cuddle more. Cuddle a teddy bear as you meditate. Cuddle your laptop when it stops working. Cuddle yourself whenever you feel a bit down. Cuddling rules.
- Soften your self talk. Say soothing words to yourself. Stuff like 'relax', 'take it easy', 'breathe Shamash....breathe.....' Obviously don't say Shamash....unless you're with me and I've stopped breathing!
