Evoking calm: Practicing mindfulness in daily life

It's easy to claim that there's just no time to be mindful, especially when life is so busy. But in reality, everyone can find at least 10 minutes a day to practice mindfulness.

The purpose of these short, daily reflections is to help you access calmness when life feels overwhelming. 

According to an article by Harvard Medical School, practising mindfulness daily can improve memory, enhance concentration, reduce distractions, and help manage stress. Mindfulness techniques have also been successfully used in treatments for anxiety and depression.

There are various ways to practice mindfulness, but they all share the same goal: to reach a state of relaxed, focused awareness by paying attention to your thoughts and sensations without judging them. This allows you to stay present and approach the moment with acceptance.

Three simple mindfulness exercises to try

Here are three easy exercises you can incorporate whenever you need a mental break, an emotional boost, or a moment to appreciate your surroundings. Dedicate 10 minutes a day and notice how it transforms your perspective—it's time well spent.

Simple meditation

Meditation is a great way to start practicing mindfulness.

• Sit in a straight-backed chair or cross-legged on the floor.
• Focus on your breathing, such as the feeling of air flowing through your nostrils and out of your mouth, or your belly rising and falling with each breath.
• Once focused, widen your awareness to include sounds, sensations, and thoughts—accept each without judgment.
• If your mind begins to wander, return to focusing on your breath, then gradually broaden your attention again.
• Spend as much time as you'd like—1 minute, 5 minutes, or 10. Regular practice is key.

Open Awareness

"Open awareness" involves fully participating in specific moments of life, helping you stay present.

• Choose an activity like eating, walking, showering, or cooking.
• Focus on the sensations in your body, both physical and emotional.
• Breathe in deeply through your nose, filling your lungs, then exhale slowly through your mouth.
• Engage your senses by paying attention to what you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste.
• Practice single-tasking by giving your full attention to the activity at hand.
• Allow thoughts or emotions to pass without judgment, like clouds drifting across the sky.
• If your mind strays, gently bring it back to the present moment.

Body Awareness

Body awareness helps you focus on your body's sensations, thoughts, and surroundings.

• Notice sensations like itching or tingling without judgment, letting them pass. Scan your body from head to toe.
• Observe sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches, and label them "sight," "sound," "smell," "taste," or "touch" before letting them go.
• Acknowledge emotions without judgment. Name them—like "joy," "anger," or "frustration"—and let them be.
• When you feel an urge or craving (for example, to overeat or engage in a negative habit), recognize it and know it will pass. Notice how your body responds to the craving, and accept that it will eventually subside.