Do these 5 things to achieve absolute mindfulness

yoga guru Sarvesh Shashi, founder of Zorba Yoga, tells us how to achieve mindfulness with ease

The brilliant Jon Kabat Zinn founder of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) defines mindfulness as, "Paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally." So what is mindfulness? And how does one achieve it? Mindfulness is nothing but to consciously live in the moment. It is a state of awareness where you acknowledge your current actions along with the simultaneous happenings in your environment. Research has indicated that an average human is in the autopilot zone 47% of the time. Mindfulness is to break out of this autopilot zone and add meaning to your daily actions through awareness.

There are growing statistics for cases of depression, stress, and anxiety affecting one's mental and physical wellbeing. The wise Lao Tzu shared over 2,500 years ago, "If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present." So let's find peace in the present with these 5 simple steps towards Mindfulness.

Here yoga guru Sarvesh Shashi, founder of Zorba Yoga, tells us how to achieve mindfulness with ease.

1. Choose to be Conscious

Reboot yourself off the autopilot mode. Choose consciousness even in the smallest of your daily tasks. Even if it's something as simple as having a cup of coffee, spare some time and make it delightful. Romance the coffee's aroma, pay attention to the taste and understand how the feeling of refreshment is growing on you sip by sip. By being conscious about the present moment, we let go of the anxiety of different tenses and achieve the initial step towards mindfulness.

2. Meditation for Mindfulness

While the informal practice of mindfulness is consciousness in the daily routine, the formal practice revolves around Meditation. Charge your mind and body with positive energy through meditation. Meditation places you in a zone of non-reaction and enables focus only on being aware of the present. Meditation calms the mind and makes one aware of their body's internal rhythm and vibrations. One can practice a simple white light meditation, to begin with.

3. Experience Mindfulness with Yoga

We all have had moments where we were completely immersed in the experience. You do not know it then, but the state of being in the zone is the state of mindfulness. Like when you are swimming, your entire focus is on your breath and the smooth and rapid body movements. The relaxed and focused mind coupled with the silence and calm of water and awareness of body movements is being in the state of mindfulness. Over 25,000 Zorbians have shared a common feedback of achieving mindfulness while practising Yoga. Yoga is the unification of mind, body, soul and the environment. It is a perfect practice to experience the state of mindfulness and the positive flow of energy through the practice of asanas concentrated breathing and calming meditation.

4. Positive Affirmations

Words yield great power, use them well. Experience the positivity and internal strength with affirmations. Choosing your words well and expressing gratitude for the goodness in life leads to clarity of thought and feeling of happiness.

5. Enjoy your environment

Spare some time to enjoy what you love. Go outdoors and experience nature, even if it means walking in your neighbourhood park or a road surrounded by trees. Pay attention to the different sounds and smells around you. Cities are not mainly visually appealing but spot sights that make you happy. It could be a dog exploring the environment, birds lined up on a fence or toddlers cycling around. Explore and enjoy the environment around you. Focus on the little things and be aware of theirs and your existence, inhale the harmony prevalent in co-existence.

To sum it up, just breathe and try to be involved in your every action to make the most of it, to achieve absolute mindfulness.