5 easy ways to start practicing mindfulness now

In the midst of the latest wave of COVID-19, I would like to propose a controversial notion: the present moment is the best place to be.

While many of us are experiencing a version of personal hell that we’d love to instantly escape: an advanced infection, dodging maskless shoppers at the grocery store, being stuck in line once again, or that draining sense of pandemic déjà vu : Staying in the present moment can offer immense benefits when we use mindfulness to find stillness in the midst of chaos.

But how is it possible to feel calm when we are besieged by digital notifications, a crushing news cycle, an unrelenting workload, and anxiety or sadness? While all of that is overwhelming, mindfulness can gently interrupt the inertia of our feelings and thoughts. Create space for us to acknowledge a racing heartbeat, a worried mind, or an obsessive thought about the future, and bring kindness and compassion to ourselves. While mindfulness isn’t a cure-all for everything that ails us, and it certainly isn’t a substitute for repairing broken economic systems that subject so many to hardship, it can help us feel calmer regardless of what’s going on around us.

“It keeps us from getting lost in these thought spirals that can lead to more anxiety,” says Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education at the Conscious Awareness Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. “We’re trying to train our minds to have a little more stability.”

People are often drawn to the promise of mindfulness, but don’t know where to start. While mindfulness apps can be helpful, you don’t need to purchase or subscribe to a digital product to explore the practice. When I asked Winston to share his best mindfulness exercises for beginners, he provided this list:

1. Mindfulness meditation

Typically, the baseline for learning mindfulness is a meditation practice, says Winston, who is also the author of The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Discovering Your Natural Awareness. Since mindfulness is a skill that develops over time, meditation offers a helpful routine and structure for doing so.

Winston says the easiest way to get started is to set aside five minutes in a space with little or no disturbance. You can sit on a couch or chair, close your eyes if you like, and take a moment to connect with yourself by noticing your breath. Do you feel it more in your abdomen, nose, or chest? Follow and hold your attention on that feeling.

Whenever a thought or observation diverts your attention, notice it with curiosity and openness, then return to the sensation of the breath. If following your breath is physically difficult or uncomfortable, try listening to the sounds around you as they come and go. Track the noise of a fan or an airplane, for example. The same principle applies: if your attention wanders, bring it back to the sound.

“Our thoughts can be really interesting,” Winston says, but it’s also important to cultivate an awareness of when thinking causes more psychological or emotional pain because it’s obsessive or counterproductive to relaxation.

2. Walking meditation

If sitting meditation isn’t your thing, don’t worry, you’re not alone, Winston says you can try walking meditation. Start by choosing a space in your home or outside. Then walk 10 feet and turn around. During this time, pay close attention to the changing sensations in your feet and legs. Slow down, feel each step, try to notice even small muscle movements. When your attention inevitably wanders to something else, return to those sensations. Although taking a longer walk introduces more distractions, you can apply the same approach of returning to physical sensations once your mind has wandered.

Winston points out that mindfulness meditation doesn’t work for everyone. Some people experience intolerable anxiety or do not experience the associated benefits. If that’s the case, recommend other habits or activities that reduce distraction while helping to cultivate a greater appreciation and connection to the present moment. That could be a walk in nature, going for a run, or playing music.

“Where are your spaces that bring in the spirit of mindfulness… and get you out of your worries and worries?” she says.

3. Practice STOP (Stop, Breathe, Observe, Proceed)

Winston uses the acronym STOP to describe a “mini mindfulness” exercise in which you stop what you’re doing, breathe, notice what you feel, and then continue your activity. This can be done in as little as 10 seconds, after a work meeting, after a toddler meltdown, in the middle of shopping online, or while navigating the crowded aisles at the grocery store. The point is to notice what is happening in your body and mind at that moment. Noticing physical signs of stress or even contentment, such as an elevated heart rate or relaxed posture, can help you develop greater awareness.

4. Feel your feet on the ground

This exercise really is as simple as noticing how your feet feel on the ground. “When we get lost in these thoughts, distractions, fears and worries, we get lost in our heads and forget that we have a body,” says Winston. She recommends feeling supported by the ground to improve the connection between your mind and body, which in turn improves your sense of awareness in the present moment.

5. Combine mindfulness with a repetitive activity

When mindfulness is a new habit, or during periods of intense stress, it’s easy to go all day without practicing it. That’s why Winston recommends taking a repetitive daily activity and turning it into a short mindfulness exercise. That could be an activity like changing a baby’s diaper, opening the front door, or turning the car key in the ignition. Feel the connection of your hand as you turn the key and notice the sensation that accompanies it. Whatever you choose, pay close attention to the activity. That momentary break can bring you back to the present moment, rather than mentally ticking off a to-do list or anticipating what’s going to happen later in the day.

“It adds up, the little moments add up,” says Winston.

What if staying in the present moment is really hard?

Sometimes the present moment is terrible. Maybe you or someone you love is sick. Or maybe you received heartbreaking news. You may be justifiably angry and need to express it. Mindfulness is not about pretending that we are not suffering.

On the contrary, mindfulness can help us recognize when we are mired in suffering. Instead of letting momentum dictate our actions, mindfulness creates a space to see challenges for what they are. At such times, we can resort to radical acceptance, which psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach describes as the courage to face and accept our reality, as it is now. We do not condone or remain passive about that reality, but we do extend compassion to ourselves.

“The more aware we are, the more we start to appear in our lives.”

Winston says that simple physical gestures, like putting a hand on your heart, can help, along with language like, “Okay, I’ll get over this.” But if that’s too sentimental for you, imagine that a loved one is sending you kindness or that your dog or cat is snuggling up next to you (if they aren’t already).

“Having some kindness to yourself in the midst of everything is very important,” says Winston.

You can and will also resist mindfulness when you need it most. (See my own confession here.) There is no need to beat yourself up for missing opportunities to practice mindfulness. Practice is not about perfection.

“The more aware we are, the more we start to show up in our lives,” says Winston. “We will feel more gratitude and appreciation, and we will have these moments of peace instead of chaos and fear.”