Daily Mindfulness Practices Making Space for Awareness
Our lives are filled with the rhythm of beginnings and endings. Evening follows morning, our hearts beat then rest, and our lungs fill and empty every single day. Any intention to bring greater awareness to our daily lives makes subtle changes that impact us beyond the time we spend in that practice (see the Benefits of Mindfulness for an overview). Whether you are a beginner or an experienced mindfulness-based meditator, consider natural morning and evening practices that can orient us toward awareness. Gentle awareness of the rhythms that surround us support our practice as a whole, and can serve to align us with the natural world.
For our purposes, we can use Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness as “moment to moment non-judgmental awareness.” In this state we are alert, attentive and aware of ourselves and our environments, while temporarily pausing our behaviors (unless we are doing mindful yoga or a walking meditation). Thoughts and feelings may arise, as may plans or judgments, but we do not follow them. Rather, we allow the flow of experience while remaining focused on awareness. The gentleness is a subtle but important stance that does not force or push awareness but leans toward ease with whatever arises within and around us. Within the realm of psychology, this intention toward ease may be considered the establishment of a ‘safe base.’
Mornings and evenings are wonderful opportunities to witness the rhythms we experience within our lives. Having set times to pause or reflect, even if they are very brief, helps us better track our experience and supports our self-awareness as a whole. Upon awakening, there is a natural orienting to ourselves and the day ahead. There is an opportunity to check in about the state of our minds, bodies and the events of the day. Unfortunately, our lives tend to induce many of us to jump headfirst into the plans and tasks for the day, rather than open to our felt sense of being as we wake up. Morning can be a time of greeting, opening and welcoming.
A few breaths of just noticing, or bare attentive awareness, upon awakening can be very instructive. Next, we may add caring attention for our physical and mental state, which sets a kind tone for our day. Caring attention adds a degree of warmth and welcoming, enhancing our sense of safety. Once settled, you may choose to ask yourself what you would like to invite or welcome to your day this morning? Ideally we can do this first thing, though for some our schedules may require us do tend to something else immediately. If there is even a moment of space- while you sip coffee, walk your dog, or after the children are on the bus, attempt to orient to your day this way before midday. Take advantage of the momentum of openness that is possible in each new day.
In the evening, the opposite energy and intention may be helpful, but the awareness practice remains the same. For many there is a natural winding down, and the tendency is toward releasing events of the day in order to make room for the invitation to rest. Again, the way many of us live, the end of the day represents fatigue or collapse characterized by shut down. Bare attention and awareness do not seek to change this state, but recognize our being as we (however long it takes) put our tools down in the evening. Even a few moments of mindful breathing or pause can orient us to our state of being at the end of each day. For those who would like to again invite caring attention following those moments of bare attention. Following this practice one may ask what might warrant letting go? Events of the day can become adhesive, and stick with us longer than we might like. Therefore, we can use the energy of evening, of letting go and releasing to make a bit more space for us to settle at night.
A caveat about these practices, our night owl friends might choose to reverse the order and thus release in the morning and invite in the evening. The practice component is just as important as the awareness itself, otherwise mindfulness becomes a beautiful, yet static idea that has nothing to do with your life. I encourage everyone to play with these practices and determine what works best for them. Alternatively, you may try the practice as written for a week to see what effect it has, and then choose your best path. If we are open to practice over time, we become more intimate with our experience, and perhaps a bit clearer or steadier in our awareness. For some, the alignment with natural rhythms has a settling effect on mind and body. Attending to what helps you return to practice is important to keep our practice alive.
