Mindfulness: How it helps your health, well being and longevity

This is part two of my personal journey and pieces of my personal journal on how I personally leveled up. In part one we looked at the importance of sleep for regeneration and rejuvenation. Here in part two will look at how mindfulness and daily meditation have improved my life, well-being and happiness immensely and will improve yours too.  In part three I will wrap it up with what lead to me having to shed my skin and level up. Having been in deep dark holes I know something about the way out again. I want to be to others which at past points in my life I needed myself. I do this so people don’t have to navigate the dark alone. It’s called “paying it forward”

So what is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it.

While mindfulness is innate, it can be manifested with proven techniques in many ways, sitting, standing, walking running, hiking, I have found many ways to personally do this. Paddle boarding is one of my favorites because I must breath and stay very calm and relaxed so I don’t  fall in the freezing water. Meditation (it’s also possible lying down but often leads to sleep); short pauses we insert into everyday life; and merging meditation practice with other activities, such as yoga or sports were you find your flow

When we meditate it doesn’t help to fixate on the benefits, but rather to just do the practice, and yet there are benefits or no one would do it. When we’re mindful, we reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind, and increase our attention to others’ well-being.

Mindfulness meditation gives us a time in our lives when we can suspend judgment and unleash our natural curiosity about the workings of the mind, approaching our experience with warmth and kindness—to ourselves and others.

Now, for myself I achieve this in three main ways. I meditate at least two times a day, In the morning before I get out of bed and at night when I go to bed. At night I usually listen to a guided meditation that entails a topic I am wishing to address such as motivation or body healing and rejuvenation and drift off to and incredible nights sleep. For guided mediation I listen to Micheal Sealey on YouTube ( I am not sponsored by him)  Find the path that’s right for you, experiment and practice. You will reap great personal benefit and level up.

Lets begin with very basic and simple approach. Always keep vigilant about being constant with practice. Even if for only short sessions. If you practice daily in small amounts,  over time the results will manifest and it will probably be faster than you think.  So how do we cultivate mindfulness? as already discuss there are many ways.

Give yourself 10 to 15 minutes daily and practice daily.  The most basic way is to do mindful breathing and simply focus your attention and thoughts on your breath, inhaling and exhaling. You can do this at any time even when your stressed, your eyes can be open or closed you can be sitting, standing, lying down but I have found being in a comfortable position (what ever that is to you) with eyes closed seems to be most effective for this exercise.  

Lets begin, Start by getting into the comfortable place and take in a deep breath you should pull that breath through your nostrils inhale for a slow 3 count hold your breath for a couple of seconds and then a long exhale for about 4 seconds exhale through your mouth. Also you can focus on the rise and fall of your chest as you inhale you want to feel your belly push out a bit. (this is how you know you’ve take a deep breath) The opposite is true for the exhale.  Take notice and relax your body with each breath. Release any tightness in your body. If your mind wanders that is OK . You will have distracting thoughts and background noises this is normal just bring yourself back to your breathing. When your distracted or your mind wanders tell yourself  “BREATHE” and focus on your breathing. It’s that simple again I can not stress the importance of constancy and practice for lasting results.

This is a very simple and effective way to get started and will reduce stress, anxiety and negative emotions, help to cool you down when your pissed off and sharpen your focus and concentration. Not to mention the restorative benefits for your over all health. 

Here’s to a mindful, happy and healthy new you. Cheers, Nomad