3 Mindfulness Practices for 2022

Mindfulness is an important aspect in everyday life that we often forget to practice. But, what exactly is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the state of being aware of your surroundings, pouring all your focus into your senses and what is happening around you without opinions or judgments. All you do while practicing mindfulness is to simply observe, breathe, and feel. This practice helps relax the body and mind, reducing stress altogether. How exactly do we reach a state of mindfulness? Here are 3 effective practices to start leading a calmer approach to life—

1. Focused Breathing

Breathing is an involuntary action to us. We inhale and exhale without noticing it. It's an action that lives on autopilot. Did you know that when you focus on your breath, it helps relieve stress? Here's how you can practice it. Find somewhere comfortable to sit, straighten your back and posture for easier breathing, close your eyes, and take deep breaths. Do this for a few minutes or however long you prefer. Feel yourself take each breath and focus only on breathing. After doing this practice, you will notice how your body and mind feel more at ease. 

2. Yoga

How does yoga fall under mindfulness? In short, yoga is the combination of paying attention to the movement of your body as well as your breath. It's a calming exercise that stimulates the body and the mind. While you stretch and loosen up your muscles, your mind benefits from the relaxtion of releasing the tension in your body. Additionally, yoga may lower your stress levels and blood pressure. Did you know that Hotel 43 provides yoga mats to you when you book a PURE Wellness room? Even during your stay with us, you can continue with mindful practices when you book one of our PURE rooms!

3. Meditation

Meditation can be a tricky thing to start. Meditating is when you sit with your mind quietly, and train it to focus solely on the present moment. What does this mean? It's similar to the focused breathing exercise mentioned earlier. Find a comfortable place to sit or lay down, and train your mind to focus on now. Your mind may wander and start thinking about things you need to do, what to eat for dinner, or if you forgot to turn the stove off, etc. The important part about meditating is not to follow those thoughts. Let them come into your mind, but let it pass while you continue to focus on the present moment.

We hope you enjoyed this blog post and that these practices help you lead a calmer life in 2022. Here's to the New Year! If you enjoyed these tips, share it with family, friends, and on social media!