Every Day, No Big Deal, Easy Mindfulness Meditation by Linda Santiman, LMFT

By now, I think most people have heard at least a little bit about Mindfulness Meditation. It’s practically a pop psychology term. And most have heard that it is good for you, and maybe it gets categorized with other “good for you” practices such as flossing your teeth or eating fresh vegetables. And the “good for you” category can be a label that turns people off or feels intimidating. Maybe you have thought it needs to be done in a perfect, reaching Nirvana like Buddha sort of atmosphere, and that strive for a perfect set up just keeps the whole concept on the shelf and out of your life completely. I’m here to offer a way to kick the Mindfulness Meditation practice off the pedestal (or fancy cushion) and embrace it in our most common and easy spaces.

Mindfulness Meditation is really a deliciously simple concept, if you break it down. It is the practice of letting the mind quiet and focus on one thing at a time, like breathing in and breathing out. And when you notice that you are distracted from that focus, you gently acknowledge that distraction without judgement, then go back to focusing, for example, on breathing.

The challenge here is to notice when you get distracted, (have you ever gone off on a chain of thought and realize you have been distracted by your task at hand for 10-20 minutes? Me too! So easy to do!) The second challenge is once you notice you are distracted, not beating yourself up about it. It’s ok! Can you be gentle with yourself? Can you recognize that everyone gets distracted sometimes?

There are so many benefits to practicing Mindfulness Meditation. It calms the nervous system, it helps you rest your mind and body, and it trains the brain to be more aware of your own thoughts and feelings and not be caught up in the distractions. It helps to practice being aware of your thoughts and feelings with less judgment.

Ok, are you sold yet, but don’t feel like you have the time or perfect meditation cushion to practice Mindfulness Meditation? I get it! I work two jobs and I’m an artist and also want to socialize with friends and family and get my laundry done and wash my dishes. Where to find the time and place?

I first got introduced to the idea of more easy, integrated ways to practice Mindfulness Meditation from my favorite book on the subject, Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. He describes practicing while doing every-day tasks like washing the dishes. While washing each dish, do not think about anything else but what is right in front of you- the feel of the weight of the dish, the temperature of the water, the sound of running water. Turn off the radio or the TV in your kitchen, and breathe and take it in.  

This one is amazing for Angelinos- Thich Nhat Hanh suggested that instead of getting crabby and impatient at a red stoplight, think of each stop like a bell at an altar has rung, and it is asking you to pause. As you literally have to idle your car and wait, breathe in and out and be grateful for the pause.

This book with these concepts blew my mind. I have discovered my own favorite ways to practice Mindfulness Meditation. My favorite is swimming laps. When I first get in the pool, it usually takes a few laps to warm up my body and my focused mind. Once I am warmed up, I take in the rhythm of my breathing, the feel of the water on my skin, the light shining on the little waves made by my movements and I try to let go of the workday worries and stay in gratitude. I feel amazing afterwards!

I can practice while chopping a bunch of vegetables for my meal, walking around my neighborhood or at a park, folding laundry, and brushing my cat. Each time it is not done perfectly, and there may be plenty of moments where I am distracted, and that is ok. Ten minutes of imperfect Mindfulness Meditation is 100% better than zero “perfect” minutes that were never attempted.

Another great idea came from another Thich Nhat Hanh book, Savor, which he co-wrote with a nutritionist, about eating mindfully. He described the practice of eating an apple. He asked that we consider how it took all of the elements of earth, fire, water and air to make this apple, and stay present for each bite. How does it taste, smell, feel, and how does the crunch of the apple sound? This practice can be very healing for addressing emotions around eating as well. We all need to eat, so I love the idea of practicing mindfulness during a meal.

I hope this stirred your own imagination. How could you integrate Mindfulness Meditation into your every-day life?  Please feel free to let me know what you come up with! Best wishes to you all in your journey towards mindfulness.

Linda Santiman, MA is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist  (#90140). She provides individual and couple's therapy in a Silverlake office. She also works for the Los Angeles LGBT Center as a Manager of Integrated Care. She has worked eclectically with clients depending on their needs and has utilized psychodynamically-based Jungian psychology, object relations, CBT, narrative, motivational interviewing, family systems, feminist and LGBTQ affirmative approaches.