Stop! In a stressful everyday life we have to occasionally press "pause". We teach mindfulness exercises to help you relax and leave stress behind. Best of all, the exercises are ideal for the impatient.
Photo: GU-Verlag
When we feel stressed out, calm and serenity are often the best medicine. Even tension in the neck and back as well as sleep disorders can often be cured completely without medication - through meditation! So-called mindfulness exercises are a proven remedy for tension, stress and their consequences. But not everyone can easily sit still for 20 minutes. We present exercises from the book "Mindful Yoga Exercises" by Jan Thorsten Eßwein. These are based on the "MBSR" method and are perfect for the impatient!
With these mindfulness exercises, you learn to love yourself
"MBSR" stands for "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction", stress management through mindfulness. This meditation form consists of exercises for body awareness, sitting and walking meditations as well as mindful yoga exercises. Those who can not sit still for long and want easy access to meditation can relax easily and quickly with this method.
Small mindfulness exercise
Feel how your foot touches the floor or the shoe. Feel the pressure and the temperature. Just look for what information the receptors in your skin, muscles, tendons and joints send to your brain. So your mindfulness is focused exclusively on your foot.
If you move your toes or your foot, feel it more clearly. Do not start thinking about your foot. Because then you move away from the mindful attitude. Being mindful means to perceive without judging.
Learning Mindfulness: 7 exercises as you live consciously
5 principles of mindfulness exercises
1. Perceive the moment: Concentrate on your breath. Feel what's good for your body. When your thoughts drift away, bring them back to the present moment.
2. Exercise anatomically correct: Perform the movements slowly and consciously. An exact execution is important for you to activate the right muscle groups.
3. The right breathing: Practice first as in slow motion and let the breath flow naturally. Once you get a feel for the exercise, connect the breath with the movement. Do not try to influence your breathing. It automatically gets deeper and slower.
4. Accept boundaries: Feel what is good for you. This is more important than creating a certain number of exercises. Once you contract, breathe again evenly and relax the facial muscles. Join the mindfulness exercise again or complete the training.
5. The Inner Attitude: Be benevolent with your own body instead of looking at individual parts critically. The human body loves movement, so every exercise is a gift.
Literature tip:
Discover exercise-oriented mindfulness exercises in the book "Mindful Yoga Exercises". This is accompanied by a CD with audio instructions for all exercises.
"Mindful Yoga Exercises" by Jan Thorsten Eßwein (around 17 Euro, GU Verlag)
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