Today is Part Three of our Busy Bride Meditation Series, which delves a little deeper into the practice of mindful living.
Mindfulness simply means living in the moment, experiencing what is going on around you, your thoughts and actions, as they occur. It means “paying attention on purpose” (Jon Kabat-Zinn) without judgement or criticism, without distraction, foreshadowing, planning or regrets. It is simply being present in your own presence.
Perhaps that’s what makes it so hard!
In today’s meditation I’m going to guide you through the experience of being present in the act of meditation. You will become aware of:
- Your body in the room
- The sounds and vibrations around you
- The feeling of your breath
- To where your mind wanders during moments of stillness
- Your own power to bring your attention back to a place of presence
Why You Want This
You only get one engagement, so now is the time to experience it. Wedding planning, while fun and necessary, may be keeping you from basking in the simple joy of being engaged.
Why You Need This
Living in the moment restores peace and clarity to your mind. It creates a safe space in which you can process past events, experience emotions, and plan without anxiety for the future, because you know that you are safe in the present moment.
What Mindfulness Doesn’t Look Like
- Clumsiness, running into furniture, breaking things
- Texting whilst having a conversation with someone else
- Using your phone or applying makeup while driving
- Arriving at your destination with no recollection of how you got there, you were on autopilot
- Forgetting someone’s name as soon as they tell it to you
- Eating distractedly
- Having multiple tabs open on your computer
- Multitasking
- Planning for the next task before you finish what you are doing now
I know that I’ve done seven of these nine things in the past week (if you’re reading mum, I never use my phone when driving or when I’m talking to someone else…) — it goes with the territory of being human! But each day I challenge myself to live more mindfully and more presently, even for a few moments at a time.
Next Steps
Set aside six minutes and press play on the guided meditation video below.
Choose 2 – 3 small tasks that you can complete mindfully. Perhaps it’s washing the dishes, driving, eating, or having a real conversation with your fiancé without distraction. Commit fully to that activity and note how it makes you feel. In my experience mindful living makes me feel more efficient, focused, relaxed and productive.
Leave a comment below. Once you have implemented this challenge I would love to hear about it! What tasks did you complete mindfully today and how did that make you feel?
Mindful Living: Busy Bride Meditation #3
With Love,
Jennifer Dene xox
