Like most people, I’m busy. I don’t have time to meditate for hours each day. I would love to, but that’s not the world most of us live in. I am passionate about sharing my successful and effective mindfulness techniques with others. To do this, I’ve designed a few simple strategies to fit mindfulness into my working day. 

A more informal way of ‘practising’ mindfulness’ is by bringing more awareness and anchoring attention to moments that are already present in a daily routine. It is completely possible to create opportunities of stillness in life by simply noticing what we are doing when we are doing it. 

Mindful moments are a useful way of building the skills needed in meditation. For example, most people clean their teeth twice a day. It is possible to ‘come off’ auto pilot when bringing attention to: 

• The feel of the toothbrush 
• The squeeze of the toothpaste tube 
• The feel of the tap and water 
• The feel of the brush on each tooth individually 
• The taste of the toothpaste 
• The rinsing of the mouth 

This doesn’t need to take too long; a minimum of 30 seconds is recommended. It is useful however to define intentions by making a choice in advance about where your attention will be anchored and to bring your awareness to such activities every day. 

The following suggestions on how to build mindful moments into your day were shared on my Instagram and Facebook pages:

It can be useful to keep a daily log of your informal mindfulness practice. Consider noting:

• Any thoughts you had
• How you felt before, during and after
• Whether your mind wandered
• Any physical experiences