Your Mindfulness Starter Pack

Mindfulness has become a major buzzword of late. With the rise of apps like Headspace and Calm it seems that mindfulness is on everyone’s mind. But for people who are interested in the big picture, it can be difficult to get a good grasp on what mindfulness is. Here, we’ve drawn on our Everyday Mindfulness course to give you an introduction to what mindfulness is, and how it works. 

In this article, we’ll go over:

1. What mindfulness means
2. How mindfulness can improve your life
3. Where to learn mindfulness practices
4. And last but not least, how to start your own mindfulness practice

So, let’s take a deep breath and dive in.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a set of techniques or practices designed to help you get out of ‘autopilot mode’, and be more present in the current moment. Mindfulness helps to reduce stress by giving our minds and bodies a chance to gain perspective before responding to an anxiety-inducing situation. 

Of course, the term ‘mindfulness’ is pretty broad. In this article, we’ll be talking about mindfulness based stress reduction, or MBSR, which is a particular type of mindfulness practice, developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. When we talk about the benefits of mindfulness, we’re really talking about the benefits of MBSR, as they’re the only ones that have been rigorously studied. 

Which brings us to our next question?

What are the Benefits of Mindfulness?

Mindfulness has been proven to help people manage ADHD, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and much more. Every day, it seems, science is discovering more links between our state of mind and our health.

But even if you’re not suffering from any of the issues mentioned above, mindfulness is still a powerful tool that you can use to improve your wellness and manage stress.

Which is a good thing, because twenty-first century life is filled with stress. We’re constantly being told that we need to hustle at work or comparing ourselves to influencers on social; media. Mindfulness techniques can be used to tune out some of that stress, and to keep ourselves balanced as we move through the frazzle of day to day life. 

What’s really amazing about mindfulness is that these benefits can be gained from just a few minutes of practice each day. 

What are Mindfulness Practices?

Mindfulness practices are techniques that you can use to recenter your focus. They might take the form of guided meditations, or daily readings. But the bottom line of any mindfulness practice is to bring your focus to what you’re feeling and experiencing, without a sense of judgement. 

We have two mindfulness guided meditations that we love: The STOP method, and Mindful Walking, which come from our Everyday Mindfulness course. They’re easy tools that you can get started using right away to build your own mindfulness practice. 

But if you’re looking for something a little less intense, then we also recommend you check out these 10 daily meditations to increase your mindfulness. 

How Can You Get Started with Mindfulness?

If you want to get started on your mindfulness journey, but are not sure where to begin, we recommend you check out Alpe Audio’s Everyday Mindfulness course. This audio course was designed and delivered by Dr. Dina Wyshogrod, a certified MBSR practitioner. Over the course of nineteen lessons (and seventeen guided practices) you will learn the skills of mindfulness based stress reduction – without ever having to attend a lecture or sit down in front of your computer.

Download Alpe Audio and get started on your mindfulness and wellness journey today.