March is For Mindfulness

Call it prayer.  Call it mediation.  Call it mindfulness.  No matter the umbrella you want to put it under, I encourage you to try incorporating it into your day…morning if at all possible. I’ve practiced a habit of mindfulness over the last few years, but never as consistently as I’d like, which is why I’m making it my habit for March.  Taking what I learned from February (I have a whole post written, just haven't hit publish yet, so I'll fill you in soon!), and trying not to bite off more than I can chew, I’m going to ease myself into this.  My goal is to do it 3 times the first week, 4 times the second week and then 5 times the third and fourth weeks.

Over the years, I’ve had several different practices of meditation.  About 3 years ago, I started using the Headspace app and if you haven’t ever done it before, this is a great place to start.  It’s a guided meditation, that I found incredibly grounding and a wonderful place to begin to learn how to be still and settle your mind.  You can do the first 10 sessions for free and if you’re really ambitious, you can subscribe to more of the series.  I loved it so much, I began having my kids practice it with me.  We live such a fast paced world, I think its so good for kids to sit in their stillness and learn to be comfortable in it.

I then listened to a podcast where Tony Robbins outlined his morning meditation routine and this was when I really began to apply the principles of it in a new, more spiritual way.  I loved his outline and I’ve used a version of it ever since.  His routine is about 10 minutes long, find a comfortable seat and close your eyes then begin with 30 deep breaths in and out.  Moving forward, the series is broken down into 3 sections.  The first section you’re going to think and more importantly, feel through 3 experiences you’re are grateful for, spending about 1 minute on each experience.  So if it were me, I might think through a favorite summer trip, remembering long boarding on the boardwalk and early morning bike rides with Luke.  Really re-living it and enjoying it all over again, feeling the wind in my hair and the sand in my toes, so to speak.  Within these 3 things, one thing needs to be incredibly simple.  When I’m sitting on my back porch doing this, it’s almost always the warm sunshine I’m grateful for…unless its summer, then it’s the a/c. ;)  The next section, you’ll focus on 3 people you’re grateful for and why, spending about 1 minute on each.  You’ll think and feel though your relationship with them and allow yourself to feel your gratitude for them in your life.  I tend to find myself praying over these people in this section.  The final section you’ll choose 3 things you’ll be grateful for once they are accomplished, spending about 1 minute on each.  So while the previous sections were in remembrance, this section is forward thinking.  I was in a really good habit of this series when I was pregnant with Luke, so during this section of the series I’d always focus on that moment when the baby is placed in your arms and feel that gratitude of it before it even happened.

For me, this series tends to unfold more like a prayer and I like the organizational outline of it and the stillness that it brings with it.  It tends to settle my mind just like the Headspace app did, but also expand my vision as I spent more time sitting in gratitude.  There are a ton of ways to practice mindfulness, if you’re interested in joining me in developing this habit, be sure to share what you’re doing on social media and tag me @amygregory.  I’m hoping to expand on my own version and I’ll be sure to check in every week with my progress on IG Stories.