Five ways to have mindful living in 2015

We can develop a spiritual lifestyle in 2015, by cultivating mindfulness in everything we do from the time we wake up. Mindfulness is an energy that helps us to be present and touch the miracles in the here and now. It helps us to experience joy and peace filled with curiosity in a non-judgemental way.

#1. Develop a breathing mind: The first thing is to practice how to be present. Our body is always present in the moment, but our mind is often distracted - ruminating about the past; caught up in the ideas about the future; or even absorbed in meta-physical thoughts. To come into the present, we have to become mindful of our breathing. We can start this by just being aware on the "in breath" and the "out breath". This helps our mind be a "breathing mind" instead of a "thinking mind".

#2. Wake up with mindfulness: We can use that awareness of breathing through the day in whatever we do. For instance, we can start the practice by being aware of our body on the bed as we wake up in the morning. We might reflect upon: What is the position of our body? Is it feeling tight or relaxed? Are there any particular areas of tension or stiffness? Then, we can breathe through those parts to relax them.

#3. Say, “I am alive, I smile to life”: We can turn over on our backs (if we are in any other position) and become aware of our breathing as we become attentive to the rise and fall of our abdomen. We can touch the miracle of being alive, and smile in response to the movements in our abdomen. We may silently say to ourselves, “Breathing in I know I am alive. Breathing out, I smile to life,” and lay our hands on our abdomen.

#4. Breathe in gratitude: Another way of practicing mindfulness to relax our bodies is by scanning different parts using our awareness, and smiling while we scan them. Thank your eyes, thank your ears, thank your lungs, your heart,  and so on. This feeling of awareness with gratitude is a very nourishing spiritual practice.

#5. Be aware of the sounds of the birds: As we get up from the bed, be aware of the changing position of the body. As we walk to the bathroom, be aware that we are walking. As we brush our teeth, be mindful of swirling water inside your mouth and cleaning our teeth. We may even want to say silently, “As I clean my mouth, may I speak truthfully and with compassion through the day,” to reinforce positive thoughts and elevate your mind.

Each activity we do in the day, whether bathing, eating, speaking on the phone, driving or being with our loved ones can be done in complete awareness by being mindful of it. It helps us to "be" present in the moment rather than just "do" the task at hand at the moment.

Enjoy the day, enjoy 2015.