I was walking with my dog Jett one spring day and noticed the beautiful sounds of the birds chirping. So I decided to record them as a 5-minute mindfulness meditation.
Background:
Mindfulness is paying attention to and sensing the present moment. Every moment is an opportunity to practice this simple act of paying attention and just noticing sights, smells, tastes, sounds, feelings, and even thoughts as they come up inside of us. So just pausing for 5 minutes to hear the sounds of birds chirping is an excellent mindfulness practice that's also easy to fit into busy schedules.
Instructions:
Just listen. Hear the sounds of the birds and any other sounds that come up. If you get distracted by thoughts, that's ok. Notice that too and then come back to just listening to the sounds in your ears. Try to be kind to yourself if and when you do get distracted, recognizing that mindfulness is more of the practice than a goal, even though the practice of paying attention often leads to a goal of being more mindful in daily life. But for now, just listen. Just practice. Just provide this opportunity to help train your brain to focus on this present moment.
Resources:
Mindfulness Quotes by John Lovas: http://www.johnlovas.com/
Mindfulness Yoga with Me (Mandy Wintink): https://youtu.be/qjOaj5dTp14
More Yoga with Me: http://www.mandywintink.com/yoga/
Self Science - A Guide to the Mind and Your Brain’s Potential, Chapter on Mindfulness: http://www.mandywintink.com/book/
Mindful Way Through Depression (Book): https://www.amazon.ca/Mindful-Way-through-Depression-Unhappiness/dp/1593851286/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=knoyoubra02-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=1593851286
Power of Now (Book): https://www.amazon.ca/Practicing-Power-Now-Essential-Meditations/dp/1577311957/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=knoyoubra02-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=1577311957