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This is an article of simple steps to practice mindful breathing and it has a 5 minute audio recording as a guide.

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How do you cultivate mindfulness? One way is to meditate. A basic method is to focus your attention on your own breathing-a practice simply called "mindful breathing." After setting aside time to practice mindful breathing, you'll find it easier to focus attention on your breath in your daily life-an important skill to help you deal with stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, cool yourself down when your temper flares, and sharpen your ability to concentrate.

Time required:

15 minutes daily for at least a week (though evidence suggests that mindfulness increases the more you practice it).
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How to do it

The most basic way to do mindful breathing is simply to focus your attention on your breath, the inhale and exhale. You can do this while standing, but ideally you'll be sitting or even lying in a comfortable position. Your eyes may be open or closed, but you may find it easier to maintain your focus if you close your eyes. It can help to set aside a designated time for this exercise, but it can also help to practice it when you're feeling particularly stressed or anxious. Experts believe a regular practice of mindful breathing can make it easier to do it in difficult situations.

Sometimes, especially when trying to calm yourself in a stressful moment, it might help to start by taking an exaggerated breath: a deep inhale through your nostrils (3 seconds), hold your breath (2 seconds), and a long exhale through your mouth (4 seconds). Otherwise, simply observe each breath without trying to adjust it; it may help to focus on the rise and fall of your chest or the sensation through your nostrils. As you do so, you may find that your mind wanders, distracted by thoughts or bodily sensations. That's okay. Just notice that this is happening and gently bring your attention back to your breath.

1. Find a relaxed, comfortable position. You could be seated on a chair or on the floor on a cushion. Keep your back upright, but not too tight. Hands resting wherever they're comfortable. Tongue on the roof of your mouth or wherever it's comfortable.

2. Notice and relax your body. Try to notice the shape of your body, its weight. Let yourself relax and become curious about your body seated here-the sensations it experiences, the touch, the connection with the floor or the chair. Relax any areas of tightness or tension. Just breathe.

3. Tune into your breath. Feel the natural flow of breath-in, out. You don't need to do anything to your breath. Not long, not short, just natural. Notice where you feel your breath in your body. It might be in your abdomen. It may be in your chest or throat or in your nostrils. See if you can feel the sensations of breath, one breath at a time. When one breath ends, the next breath begins.

4. Be kind to your wandering mind. Now as you do this, you might notice that your mind may start to wander. You may start thinking about other things. If this happens, it is not a problem. It's very natural. Just notice that your mind has wandered. You can say "thinking" or "wandering" in your head softly. And then gently redirect your attention right back to the breathing.

5. Stay here for five to seven minutes. Notice your breath, in silence. From time to time, you'll get lost in thought, then return to your breath.

6. Check in before you check out. After a few minutes, once again notice your body, your whole body, seated here. Let yourself relax even more deeply and then offer yourself some appreciation for doing this practice today.

You may find that your mind wanders, distracted by thoughts or bodily sensations. That's okay. Just notice that this is happening and gently bring your attention back to your breath.

Try This Simple Mindful Breath Practice

Breathe along with this GIF to calm a stressed out mind. Focus on the sensation of your breath in and out.

Your Breath is Your Brain's Remote Control

6 Reasons Why Mindfulness Begins with the Breath

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A 5-Minute Breathing Meditation To Cultivate Mindfulness

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How do you cultivate mindfulness? One way is to meditate. A basic method is to focus your attention on your own breathing-a practice simply called "mindful breathing."

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This is a Youtube video I found which demonstrates how to drink coffee mindfully. While this may seem like a strange exercise or a strange way to practice mindfulness, it is super quick and I think it is a great idea (coming from someone who drinks coffee like every morning). I hope you all enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXzuZRMWUoU

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This is a youtube video that walks you through the steps of one mindfulness exercise: brushing your teeth! This is a cool practice because "brushing your teeth" is something everyone does everyday and its a way that you can practice mindfulness while doing it. This can help incorporate mindfulness into your everyday routine! Hope you enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UkFZfOiaNY

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This article talks about the easy ways we can be mindful in our every day lives - they all involve putting our phones down.

https://www.happify.com/hd/7-ways-to-be-mindful-in-your-everyday-life/

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This is an article with 5 ways to be mindful in your daily life. I really like it because it also gives you an idea of what it looks like to not be mindful during those times (habits you should avoid).

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This is an article with 5 ways to be mindful in your daily life. I really like it because it also gives you an idea of what it looks like to not be mindful during those times (habits you should avoid).

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5 Ways To Bring Mindfulness Into Everyday Life, by Headspace.com

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Research shows that most people spend up to 50 percent of their time in their heads - a tendency that does nothing to increase our happiness and in fact has been proved to be detrimental to it.

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This is an article on mindful running that I think is cool! https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/22/meditation-in-action-running-mindfulness_n_3625110.html

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This article is about 13 things that mindful people do differently each day. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/habits-mindful-people_n_5186510.html

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This is an article that I found attributing mindfulness to weight loss, rather than a change in diet. I thought this was extremely provocative, especially since we learned about mindful eating.

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In our complex, fast-paced world, mindfulness meditation and similar techniques have been recommended to reduce stress, enhance immunity, boost learning, increase productivity and more. New research suggests an important addition to the list: At least three recent studies have suggested that mindful eating can improve weight-loss efforts and combat obesity.

Mindfulness may work, the papers propose, because it strengthens the weakest link in most diets: the adherence or compliance problem. Many people can lose roughly 5 percent of their weight by strictly following a weight-loss program for three to six months. But then the tide inevitably turns, and the pounds return. It's maintaining weight-loss that presents the biggest obstacle.

[ How a common meditation technique can help you eat more healthfully ]

The regain happens in part for metabolic and hormonal reasons, but mainly because few can follow restrictive eating patterns for long. As with New Year's resolutions that last a month or two, most people return to their former habits. They stop adhering to the plan.

Thus, successful dieting may be less about the math - calories in and calories out - and more about the mind. Any behavioral trick that helps you stick to the original plan will enhance your long-term success. That's where mindful-eating strategies come in.

In the journal Current Obesity Reports, nutritionist Carolyn Dunn and colleagues from North Carolina State University performed the first review of research papers on mindful eating and weight loss. "All studies showed weight loss results" with mindful eating, they reported. In addition, four of five studies over a follow-up period found continued weight loss. The expected regain occurred in only one of the five studies.

The review concluded, "Increased mindful eating has been shown to help participants gain awareness of their bodies, be more in tune to hunger and satiety, recognize external cues to eat, gain self compassion, decrease food cravings, decrease problematic eating, and decrease reward-driven eating."

Dunn has been part of an "Eat Smart, Move More" educational campaign begun in North Carolina in 2002. Its mission is to help residents fight obesity with evidence-backed information and action plans.

"Our participants have told us that mindfulness is one of the most powerful tools we give them," Dunn notes. "We help them become aware of the eating experience by weaving mindful eating into every eating strategy we cover."

A simple document titled "12 Mindful Eating Strategies" is among the guides provided to participants. It includes such advice as:

●Make eating an exclusive event - don't watch TV.

●Appreciate food - acknowledge the gift with gratitude.

●Eat slowly to recognize your hunger and fullness cues. Put your fork down between bites, chew your food well and make each meal last at least 20 minutes.

Independent nutrition researcher Brenda Davy from Virginia Tech says such approaches hold potential for weight management. "Mindful-eating strategies may be helpful when trying to lose or even maintain body weight," says Davy, who was not associated with any of the reported studies. "Paying attention to how hungry or full you feel, and being aware of situations that may lead to eating in the absence of hunger - such as boredom or other emotions - can help with dietary adherence."

Eating more slowly may have an especially powerful effect. In BMJ Open, a research team reported on the eating habits of 59,000 mostly obese subjects with Type 2 diabetes. Specifically, the investigators wanted to know what would happen if the subjects changed their eating speed - fast, normal, slow - during the six-year study.

As it turned out, those who moved from the fast to the slow category had a 42 percent lower rate of obesity than those who continued to eat quickly. Those who moved from fast to normal had a 29 percent lower rate. The researchers speculated that fast eaters consume calories more quickly than the body can register fullness, while slow eaters will notice "feelings of satiety before an excessive amount of food is ingested."

They concluded, "The control of eating speed may therefore be a possible means of regulating body fat and preventing obesity."

Even the highly publicized DIETFITS report that appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association provided support for mindful eating.

The randomized, controlled trial was mainly designed to compare the weight-loss effectiveness of low-fat diets vs. low-carb diets. The results showed no differences between the two after 12 months.

[Low-carb vs. low-fat: New research says it doesn't really matter]

However, this doesn't mean the diets failed. In fact, they succeeded, giving subjects an average 12-pound weight loss. This reduction occurred because many subjects were able to stick to their diets - both groups consumed roughly 500 fewer calories per day - for 12 months. There was little loss of adherence.

Why? Probably because the Stanford investigators did an excellent job educating both groups with 22 instructional sessions and a simple, repetitive message: Reduce added sugars, while eating more vegetables and fewer highly processed foods.

"On both sides, we heard from people who had lost the most weight that we helped them change their relationship to food," said lead researcher Chris Gardner. "And that now they were more thoughtful about how they ate."

More from Lifestyle:

This is your body on fast food

9 ways millennials are changing the way we eat

Inside food cravings: How to deal when you're just dying to have that cookie

High blood pressure? Potassium could help.

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More and more research points to mindfulness - not certain foods - for weight loss

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In our complex, fast-paced world, mindfulness meditation and similar techniques have been recommended to reduce stress, enhance immunity, boost learning, increase productivity and more. New research suggests an important addition to the list: At least three recent studies have suggested that mindful eating can improve weight-loss efforts and combat obesity.

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This is an app I found called Chill. It's available for iPhone and Android. It basically sends you reminders about staying mindful throughout the day, as well as providing quotes and other small messages about mindfulness and how it pertains to our daily lives. This is the link to the app on the Apple app store! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chill-daily-mindfulness-quotes-reminders/id986509491?mt=8

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This article is about yoga and mindfulness. It talks about the how, the why, and the benefits! It is also very short so definitely worth the read.

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In today's busy world multitasking is the order of the day. We drive down to work, attending calls and planning our day. We come back home and eat dinner watching TV, supervising our kids' homework. In this rush to accomplish various tasks somewhere we are losing out on the delicate connection with the present moment. We are simply not aware of what we are doing and how we are feeling in the moment.

Mindfulness: Awareness of the 'Now'

Simply put, mindfulness is just the awareness of whatever is happening 'right now'. It is the awareness and non judgemental acceptance of 'What Simply Is". Not categorizing experiences as pleasant or unpleasant or good or bad, but just observing them. It is important to note that there is nothing so great about being mindful. All it seeks to imply is being with our experience moment to moment. Practicing mindfulness is simple. You might be simply bathing. Just being aware of the moment when the water touches your body, the smell of the soap, the feel of the soap on the skin and the shower water trickling all over. Whatever your feeling is, simply notice it and accept it. Just the awareness of every moment! Bathing is only one example. Any activity of daily life can be practiced with mindfulness. You might sweep a floor, wash dishes, play with your pet, eat your meal, or do any number other ordinary activities, slowly and mindfully.

Benefits of Yoga and Mindfulness

Scientists are now noting and documenting various advantages of Mindfulness including improvements in physical and mental health and overall well being.

1. Improves physical health - The practice of mindfulness helps alleviate several physical ailments.

1. Keeps blood pressure in control

2. Helps reduce pain

3. Releases stress

4. Improves the quality of sleep

2. Improves mental health - Mindfulness helps to keep negative emotions like anxiety, stress and depression away and helps boost positivity, enthusiasm and overall state of the mind.

3. Improves overall well being - regular practice of mindfulness helps to:

4. Gain insight into our own feelings and thoughts.

5. Have greater clarity in decision making as well as productivity and results in improved creativity.

6. Have more gratitude and spontaneity in life.

Developing Mindfulness

The natural question therefore would seem to be how to develop this mindfulness. How to consciously become more and more aware of the present moment? This is where the yoga and breathing techniques taught by The Art of Living help. The physical yoga postures taught in the Sri Sri Yoga Course and pranayams and the Sudarshan Kriya taught in the Part 1 Course help an individual to stay more and more in the present moment through awareness of the breath and the release of unwanted toxins and stress from the system.

From the Scenery to the Seer

Mindfulness is meditative awareness. It is bringing back attention to one's own self, from the scenery to the seer. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of The Art of Living says, "The shift from scenery to the seer happens with yoga. It happens with Ujjai breath and meditation. It brings up an ocean of compassion within you. It makes the intellect sharp and attentive. You become more intuitive and aware. You become friendlier and more confident."

Taking time out for yoga or meditation in our everyday life can help us stay mindful and significantly improve the overall quality of our lives.

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Yoga and Mindfulness | Mindfulness and Yoga | Live in Present Moment

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In today's busy world multitasking is the order of the day. We drive down to work, attending calls and planning our day. We come back home and eat dinner watching TV, supervising our kids' homework. In this rush to accomplish various tasks somewhere we are losing out on the delicate connection with the present moment.

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This is an article I found about 11 little moments during your day that you can use as an opportunity to practice mindfulness--particularly for those who work or go to school during the week. I found it very helpful!

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By becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, from moment to moment, we give ourselves the possibility of greater freedom and choice; we do not have to go down the same old "mental ruts" that may have caused problems in the past.

The aim of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is to increase awareness so that we can respond to situations with choice rather than react automatically. We do that by practicing to become more aware of where our attention is, and deliberately changing the focus of attention, over and over again.

1. When you first wake up in the morning: before you get out of bed, bring your attention to your breathing. Observe five mindful breaths.

2. Notice changes in your posture. Be aware of how your body and mind feel when you move from lying down to sitting, to standing, to walking. Notice each time you make a transition from one posture to the next.

3. Use any sound as the bell of mindfulness. Whenever you hear a phone ring, a bird sing, a train pass by, laughter, a car horn, the wind, the sound of a door closing-really listen and be present and awake.

4. Throughout the day: take a few moments to bring your attention to your breathing. Observe five mindful breaths.

5. Whenever you eat or drink something, take a minute and breathe. Look at your food and realize that the food was connected to something that nourished its growth. Can you see the sunlight, the rain, the earth, the farmer, the trucker in your food? Pay attention as you eat, consciously consuming this food for your physical health. Bring awareness to seeing your food, smelling your food, tasting your food, chewing your food, and swallowing your food.

6. Notice your body while you walk or stand. Take a moment to notice your posture. Pay attention to the contact of the ground under your feet. Feel the air on your face, arms, and legs as you walk. Are you rushing?

7. Bring awareness to listening and talking. Can you listen without agreeing or disagreeing, liking or disliking, or planning what you will say when it is your turn? When talking, can you just say what you need to say without overstating or understating? Can you notice how your mind and body feel?

8. Whenever you wait in a line, use this time to notice standing and breathing. Feel the contact of your feet on the floor and how your body feels. Bring attention to the rise and fall of your abdomen. Are you feeling impatient?

9. Be aware of any points of tightness in your body throughout the day. See if you can breathe into them and, as you exhale, let go of excess tension. Is there tension stored anywhere in your body? For example, your neck, shoulders, stomach, jaw, or lower back? If possible, stretch or do yoga once a day.

10. Bring mindfulness to each activity. Focus attention on daily activities such as brushing your teeth, washing up, brushing your hair, putting on your shoes, doing your job.

11. Before you go to sleep at night: take a few minutes and bring your attention to your breathing. Observe five mindful breaths.

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By becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, from moment to moment, we give ourselves the possibility of greater freedom and choice; we do not have to go down the same old "mental ruts" that may have caused problems in the past.

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This is an article I found with three ways of outlining mindfulness in your daily life. It discusses mindfulness in exercise, in talking to others, and in the daily chores that you do. I feel like this is a good resource with easy ways to practice mindfulness.

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Imagine a world where everyone is mindful of themselves and each other. There'd be less distraction, less agitation, more connection to nature, and more peace.

Studies have shown that a mindfulness practice helps relieve stress, calm the mind, improve mental and physical well-being, and increase productivity at work.

But what is mindfulness, and why does it seem so difficult to achieve?

Awareness in the Present Moment

Mindfulness is a state of being fully aware in the present moment-not only of your surrounding, but also your feelings, thoughts, and physical sensations.

Closely associated with mindfulness is meditation, which is only one of the practices we can do to cultivate mindfulness. But we don't necessarily have to sit still in meditation for a certain period of time to practice mindfulness.

In the Taoist tradition, anything you do with intention and consciousness can be meditative. Here are three easy ways to practice mindfulness in your daily life.

1. Find Stillness in Movement

Before we can find stillness in the mind, we must get in tune with the physical body first. This is how Yoga helps in opening the pathway to mindfulness.

Yoga itself is a meditation in movement when you're aware of every sensation in the body. Hold your poses longer to connect deeper to the breath, which also challenges the mind and strengthens the body at the same time.

Take a leisurely walk in nature, get quiet, and notice the beauty around you. Like nature, music also has a way of silencing the mind.

Dance is a particularly effective movement therapy that uses the mind, body, and music to snap us into awareness. Just try a dance class-nothing brings your mind faster into the present moment than when you're trying to get your body to move to the rhythm.

2. Listen More, Talk Less

Mindfulness comes not only from our attitude and actions, but also from our interactions with loved ones, especially those in need of healing.

Practice holding space: give your whole attention and listen to what a loved one needs to say without judging. Rather than offering advice, just be a comforting presence, and allow truth to unfold naturally.

Stay off your electronics when you're having one-on-one conversations. In today's world, we may be more connected than ever to friends and family digitally, but these modern conveniences can also make us less mindful in our daily interactions with others.

3. Slow Down

Instead of rushing through the day on auto-pilot, turn your daily activities into meditative rituals. Enjoy the little things that you do, from drinking your morning tea (or coffee) and cooking your favorite breakfast to dressing up for the day.

Take pleasure in every bite of your meals. Even mundane chores like driving in traffic, ironing, and cleaning up can be an exercise in mindfulness.

Focus your whole attention on the task, notice the small details, and observe your thoughts and feelings. The busier you are, the more you need to slow down to cultivate awareness.

Let the practice of mindfulness be a natural part of your daily habits instead of a technique to master. Beauty, grace, gratitude, and inner peace come easily when we live in the moment.

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3 Easy Ways to Practice Mindfulness in Your Daily Life

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Imagine a world where everyone is mindful of themselves and each other. There'd be less distraction, less agitation, more connection to nature, and more peace. Studies have shown that a mindfulness practice helps relieve stress, calm the mind, improve mental and physical well-being, and increase productivity at work.

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This is an article that includes 7 ways to be mindful in your everyday life. I found these tips really helpful and hope this help you as well!!

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There are many simple ways you can be more mindful. Here are seven tips to incorporate into your daily life.

1. Practice mindfulness during routine activities. Try bringing awareness to the daily activities you usually do on autopilot, said Ed Halliwell, mindfulness teacher and co-author of the book The Mindful Manifesto.

For instance, pay more attention as you're brushing your teeth, taking a shower, eating breakfast or walking to work, he said. Zero in on the sight, sound, smell, taste and feel of these activities. "You might find the routine activity is more interesting than you thought," he said.

2. Practice right when you wake up. According to Lucas, "Mindfulness practice first thing in the morning helps set the 'tone' of your nervous system for the rest of the day, increasing the likelihood of other mindful moments." If you find yourself dozing off, as Lucas does, just practice after having your coffee or tea. But "...don't read the paper, turn on the TV, check your phone or email, etc. until after you've had your 'sit,'" she said.

3. Let your mind wander. " Your mind and brain are natural wanderers - much like a crawling toddler or a puppy, Lucas said. And that's a good thing. Having a "busy brain," Lucas said, is actually an asset. "The beneficial brain changes seen in the neuroscience research on mindfulness are thought to be promoted in large part by the act of noticing that your mind has wandered, and then non-judgmentally - lovingly [and] gently- bringing it back," she said.

4. Keep it short. Our brains respond better to bursts of mindfulness, Lucas said. So being mindful several times a day is more helpful than a lengthy session or even a weekend retreat. While 20 minutes seems to be the gold standard, starting at a few minutes a day is OK, too.

For instance, you can tune into your body, such as focusing "on how your shoes feel on your feet in that moment, or giving attention to how your jaw is doing [such as, is it] tight, loose or hanging open at the audacity of the person in front of you in the coffee line?" Lucas said.

5. Practice mindfulness while you wait. In our fast-paced lives, waiting is a big source of frustration - whether you're waiting in line or stuck in traffic. But while it might seem like a nuisance, waiting is actually an opportunity for mindfulness, Halliwell said. When you're waiting, he suggested bringing your attention to your breath. Focus on "the flow of the breath in and out of your body, from moment to moment and allow everything else to just be, even if what's there is impatience or irritation."

6. Pick a prompt to remind you to be mindful. Choose a cue that you encounter on a regular basis to shift your brain into mindful mode, Lucas said. For instance, you might pick a certain doorway or mirror or use drinking coffee or tea as a reminder, she said.

7. Learn to meditate. "The best way to cultivate mindfulness in everyday life is to formally train in meditation," Halliwell said. He compared practicing mindfulness to learning a new language. "You can't just decide to be fluent in Spanish - unless you already are - you have to learn the language first," he said. "Practicing meditation is how to learn the language of mindfulness." Meditation helps us tap into mindfulness with little effort, he said. He suggested finding a local teacher or trying out CDs.

Mindfulness isn't a luxury, Lucas said, "it's a practice that trains your brain to be more efficient and better integrated, with less distractibility and improved focus. It minimizes stress and even helps you become your best self."

Lucas cited Richard Davidson's research at the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, which shows that all of us have an emotional "set point." "Some of us have more of a tendency toward withdrawal, avoidance, negative thinking and other depressive symptoms, [whereas] others have a greater tendency toward positive moods [such as, being] curious, tending to approach new things and positive thinking," she said. Davidson has found that through mindfulness, we may be able to train our brains and shift our set points.

"Mindfulness practice now has an abundance of neuroscience research to support that it helps our brains be more integrated, so your everyday activities, thoughts, attitudes [and] perceptions...are more balanced [or] well-rounded," Lucas said.

7 Easy Ways to be Mindful Every Day

Related Articles

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Mindfulness has a way of sounding complicated. It's anything but. "Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally," according to Marsha Lucas, Ph.D, psychologist and author of Rewire Your Brain for Love. There are many simple ways you can be more mindful.

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"You set off mindful and quietly prepared for what you’ll need; mindful of how your mood changes when you first catch a glimpse of the queue for the bank; mindful of how you stand, your breath and where any tensions are as you scan through your body; mindful of the tendency to distract yourself from the present moment; and mindful of how you interact with the people around you."See full article
http://www.dailygood.org/story/497/5-ways-to-bring-mindfulness-into-everyday-life-headspace-com/