Dr Elise Bialylew
Mindfulness is the new black. It is an effective mental training,
originating from the 2,000-year-old Buddhist practices and adapted to
suit non-religious contexts, including the work place, parenting,
healthcare and schools.
I came to mindfulness meditation
as a stressed out doctor and it took a while before I was sold on it.
For someone who thrived on being active, it was almost intolerable to
sit still. I remember falling asleep from boredom and experiencing the
most profound agitation as though an unstoppable army of ants was
crawling under my skin.
Many years later, meditation has become an integral part of my life.
It supports me in remembering to pause, catch my breath and re-focus,
and it brings clarity when there are important decisions to make. It
also gives me mental space for new ideas to emerge.
Three years ago, whilst I was meditating,
I had an idea to harness the power of technology and create a global
online meditation campaign to teach people how to meditate and raise
money to build clean water wells in developing countries. Since then, it
has inspired thousands of people from around the world to learn how to
master their minds and make a huge difference through getting sponsored
to raise funds to help the one in nine people on the planet gain access
to one of life’s most basic needs – clean water.
Mindfulness is a simple, yet challenging, discipline
of noticing what you are doing as you are doing it with an open,
curious and non-judgmental stance. It’s about developing more
self-awareness and presence, appreciating your moments more and
developing more capacity to respond consciously rather than react
compulsively in everyday life.
Four simple ways you can bring mindfulness into your day.
Here are four ways you can start to bring more mindfulness into your day.
1. Tune in to the breath
It may sound like an irritating cliche, but there is scientific
rationale for this advice. The breath is not only a powerful indicator
of your state of mind but it also powerfully impacts your emotions.
During a busy day, take a few moments to consciously tune in to the
breath. Feel three breaths move in and out of the body. Then slow down
the exhalation, which helps to trigger the relaxation response.
Extending the breath in this way sends a message to the parasympathetic
nervous system (the system that opposes the stress response) to calm
down the body.
2. Use your surroundings as a circuit breaker
Take moments in the day to unhook from the flurry of to-do lists and
take a pause to tune into your senses. Listen to the sounds in the room,
feel your body in space, see the space you are in, notice the
temperature and smells. By tuning in to your senses, just for a few
moments, you give your mind a micro break from the stress of thinking
and have a chance to re-centre and continue along your day with more
calm.
3. Use technology with awareness
Sitting at a computer all day? Bring awareness to your posture and breath. It has been noted that email apnea, the
temporary suspension of breathing while doing email, means we are
inadvertently creating stress in the body. When we breathe irregularly,
the body becomes acidic through retention of excess carbon dioxide. This
acidity may contribute to stress-related diseases. Be mindful of your
posture whilst working at the computer and notice if you are
breath-holding during the day.
4. Use your lunch as a mindful practice
Rather than eating whilst working on the computer, or missing out on
lunch altogether, use your lunch as a way of practicing mindfulness.
This means, noticing you are eating as you are eating, intentionally
tasting your food, chewing properly and tuning in to the feeling of
being satisfied, rather than overeating. Mindful eating will allow you
to appreciate your food more and has also been demonstrated to be an
effective way to maintain a healthy weight.
Elise Bialylew is a doctor, coach and mindfulness
meditation teacher with a background in Psychiatry. She is the founder
of Mindful in May, a global online mindfulness campaign that has
inspired thousands of people around the world to learn how to meditate,
whilst raising money to build clean water wells in the developing world.
When she’s not teaching mindfulness, she’s often losing herself in
salsa dancing or african drumming. Learn mindfulness skills this May by
registering for Mindful in May (www.mindfulinmay.org) starts May 1.
