Exploring Mindfulness: 7 Ways to Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. Mindfulness meditation involves acute self-awareness, awareness of your surroundings, and the ability to exist in your current space without judgment. This form of meditation is often combined with other wellness practices, such as yoga and walking, to curb obsessive or damaging thoughts that cloud our focus.

Mindfulness has entered into mainstream medicine and clinical practice due to the success of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program designed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor and scientist, to help outpatients living with chronic pain and other medical conditions. The program’s success led to the creation of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), a type of psychotherapy developed by a team of therapists who aimed to integrate cognitive behavioral therapy with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Though its exact origin is unknown, mindfulness has been practiced for thousands of years and has strong roots in Buddhism. In the United States, the practice entered the mainstream thanks to Professor emeritus Jon Kabat-Zinn, who first learned Buddhist teachings while studying at MIT. In 1979, Jon founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and began incorporating Buddhist practices into the program.

Later, as he refined his practice, he renamed the program Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Through his program, mindfulness made its way into mainstream Western medicine and clinical practice. MBSR influenced the creation of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), a type of psychotherapy developed by a team of therapists who aimed to integrate cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness-based stress reduction.

The practice of mindfulness has many mental health benefits:

1. 1. Mental clarity. Mindfulness clears your head, forcing you to focus on the present moment, and helps prevent your brain from troublesome rumination. Being in the moment also builds appreciation and gratefulness, which can, in turn, boost your mood and change your attitude about different aspects of your everyday life.
2. 2. Improves working memory. According to multiple studies, mindfulness meditation can improve working memory. Scientists found higher levels of cortical thickness in the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for memory and learning, after individuals participated in an eight-week MBSR program.
3. 3. Stress reduction. Mindfulness can help soothe your mind by giving it a focus and centering breathing, which can help you naturally de-stress (and may have a beneficial effect on physical health by lowering blood pressure). Psychotherapy studies have noted the positive effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in people who experience anxiety disorders, depression, or chronic pain.
4. 4. Better emotional regulation. Meditation can improve emotional regulation and reactivity, allowing for the mitigation of depressive symptoms and social anxiety. Through routine mindfulness practice, meditators can learn to better cope with the discomfort at the root of chronic pain.

There are a few different ways to practice mindfulness, such as:

1. 1. Breathwork. Basic mindfulness meditation techniques include focusing on your most natural process: breathing. Focus on each inhalation and exhalation, taking full, deep breaths, and paying attention to how the air feels as it enters and escapes your body. If your mind wanders and you’re having trouble keeping it on track, select a specific word—a mantra—to repeat to yourself, which can help realign your focus.
2. 2. Mindful eating. This helpful mindfulness exercise involves slowly consuming your food, paying attention to the smell, flavor, and texture, and how it feels in your mouth. By placing an intense focus on the act of eating, you can stave off intrusive or negative thoughts and build an appreciation for the current moment.
3. 3. Sensory activation. Mindfulness training includes being aware of your surroundings, including what you can see, touch, taste, feel, and hear. Take note of all your sensory triggers, not dwelling on any one of them for too long.
4. 4. Embrace emotions. It’s hard to control the thoughts and emotions that pass through our minds, but mindfulness looks to embrace these feelings and thoughts. Give yourself a few moments to experience negative emotions without judgment, and then let them go.
5. 5. Body scan meditation. Body scan meditation is a form of mindfulness meditation that involves taking an in-depth analysis of your body, paying close attention to any physical sensations or feelings of pain, and releasing them. Start at the top of your head and slowly scan your way down, allowing yourself to briefly focus on any physical sensations or specific emotions, acknowledging their existence, then allowing them to pass, continuing to scan your way down.
6. 6. Mindful walking. Walking meditation is a mindfulness practice that blends the physical experience of walking with the focused mindfulness of a meditative state. Mindful walking involves walking without stopping for a period of time, focusing on every step, and each of your breaths as you move. Notice how your feet feel when they hit the ground and how your limbs feel as they move with the motion of your body. Focusing on your breathing and bodily sensations can help clear your mind of obsessive or intrusive thoughts.

Find something comfortable to sit or lie on, grab a MasterClass Annual Membership, and dial into the present moment with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of the Western mindfulness movement. From formal meditation exercises to examinations of the science behind mindfulness, Jon will prepare you for the most important practice of them all: life itself.