Being mindful relieves stress and anxiety because your awareness is in the present moment. You are not focused on what went wrong in the past or worrying about the possibilities of the future.
Here’s a simple meditation to assist you in cultivating the art of mindfulness…
☀ Place a raisin or sultana on your hand. Observe it with the curiosity of a child who is seeing it for the first time. Observe the color, texture and how the creases and folds catch the light as you rotate it.
☀ Bring the raisin towards your nose. Feel the sensations of the raisin as you are bringing it towards your nose. Smell the raisin. Does it have a scent?
☀ Rotate the raisin between your fingers. Close your eyes and notice the sensations you feel with the raisin. Squeeze it and observe how this feels to you.
☀ Place the raisin in your mouth. Notice how the raisin feels on your lips and tongue. Notice if you feel the urge to just swallow the raisin. Place the raisin between your teeth and slowly start to chew on the raisin.
☀ Swallow the raisin. Follow the sensation of the raisin as it moves through your oesophagus into your stomach.
That was being mindful!