Last updated June 3, 2024
Discover inner calm and balance through six foundational principles of mindfulness practice. Get started with our guide below!
One of the ultimate goals in almost everyone’s life is to achieve inner peace. Even when you are surrounded by chaos, you can remain calm and grounded.
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While this may seem like a lofty goal, it is attainable through a technique called mindfulness. When you use the following six principles of mindfulness, you can no doubt incorporate serenity and awareness into your daily life.
Why Be Mindful?
Mindfulness is the practice of remaining aware of your entire self, including your environment. You are able to look at yourself and your surroundings from a neutral, unassuming perspective.
With origins in Buddhism, it is most often thought of in the form of deep meditation or yoga. However, you can practice mindfulness in any way that feels right for you.
The benefits of this exercise includes improved physical and mental states by:
- Cultivating positive attitudes;
- Opening up neural pathways that make enjoyment and satisfaction easier;
- Reducing worries about the future and regrets from the past;
- Fostering deeper, soul-focused connections;
- Relieving stress;
- Reducing physical manifestations of stress, like heart conditions, chest pain, headaches, upset stomach, sleep disturbances and high blood pressure;
- Improving mental health conditions, such as anxiety, eating disorders, depression, OCD and substance abuse.
These benefits are worth giving mindfulness a shot. All mindfulness techniques are a form of meditation, allowing you to recognize your body sensations, sensory cues, current emotions and even urges.
Six Principles of Mindfulness
To fully benefit, it’s important to stay true to the six principles of mindfulness outlined below.
1. Be Aware of Your Body
A core tenet of mindfulness is the awareness of your body and its surroundings. This involves activating all of your senses to transform the way you experience sensory cues.
This part of mindfulness is a mental journey and can be integrated into any technique. For example, you can enjoy the holistic benefits of green tea, like skin clearing and depuffing, while noticing the warmth of the tea and tracing its journey down your body.
You can also practice techniques like somatic breathwork to hone in on the connection between mind and body. Pay attention to each breath, consciously inhaling and exhaling.
Mindfulness is inherently a form of self-care. Set out time in your daily routine to focus on yourself, focusing solely on your physical sensations.
2. Be Present in the Moment
Part of practicing mindfulness is the art of letting go. Practice releasing the burden of striving, shifting your goal from a specific outcome to appreciating each moment as it comes.
Stay attuned to the sensory cues from your surroundings, taking note of what you see, touch, hear, smell and taste. This will guide you back to experiencing the journey instead of anticipating the destination.
3. Release Judgment
Acceptance is a key component of why mindfulness works for so many ailments — both mental and physical. Rather than dwelling on perceived flaws or limitations, you can release judgment and accept yourself and your journey for what it is.
Only then can you see clearly enough to approach life calmly and assuredly. This can boost your confidence and help you let go of attachments to self-worth and external validation.
4. Practice Gratitude
Appreciation can enrich the practice of mindfulness. While the goal is to be neutral and non-judgmental, you can still practice gratitude for the present moment. This involves acknowledging and savoring the simple joys in life that can often go unnoticed. Nature, for example, can be the perfect catalyst for gratitude in mindfulness.
Eco therapy can offer you an escape from the interconnected online world that is often steeped in negativity and judgment. Instead, you can seek out the positive attributes of nature, enjoying the wonders of the earth and fostering a deep sense of gratitude within yourself.
5. Trust & Be Patient
It’s tempting to fall into the trap of impatience and mistrust during mindfulness practice. With the distractions of everyday life, it may not feel immediately comfortable for you to sit and do “nothing.”
Instead of automatically dismissing your ability to be patient, let yourself enjoy the journey. Trust the process without focusing on the time it takes to get to where you want to be.
If you still find this difficult, you can incorporate mindfulness into your current daily activities, like walking, listening to music, exercising or doing crafts. Each activity in itself is a mindful activity, and you can consciously get more out of each by embracing the process and practicing serenity in uncertainty.
6. Stay Open & Curious
Another salient principle of mindfulness is to hold a “beginner’s mind.” As we age or progress in life and activities, we often lose sight of the naivety and curiosity we once had.
Rather than abandoning that pursuit, it’s important to make a conscious effort to remain open to new ideas and experiences. Seeing the world and yourself through fresh eyes can give mindfulness a deeper meaning and allow it to take you anywhere you need to go at that present moment.
Practice the Principles of Mindfulness Daily
On your journey to self-discovery and inner peace, it’s important to make sure you aren’t disrupting your daily flow. Embrace the art of being present and practice gratitude in all things — not just your meditative practice.
This way, mindfulness can seep into all areas of your life and positively impact your well-being in ways you never thought possible.
About the author:
Sam Bowman enjoys writing about people, wellness and adventure, and how they merge. He enjoys traveling solo, with friends or even with his dog. In his spare time, he likes running, reading and combining the two in a run to his local bookstore.
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