In between classes there are many things you can do at home to help live a Mindful life and keep your meditation practise ticking over.

Breathing Exercise

This simple breathing technique can help calm you when busy at work or studying. It can also be really helpful when in bed and struggling to sleep.

Start with closing your eyes.

Inhale – inhale through your nose for six seconds.

Hold – hold the breath at the top of your head for three seconds.

Exhale – exhale for eight seconds, emptying your breath from the bottom of your stomach.

Repeat this five times and you will instantly feel calmer. If you wish to continue the exercise you should breathe normally for a couple of minutes after your first five repetitions and before starting the next five.

Positive Thinking

At the start of the day, maybe just before you have breakfast or are on the bus to work or school, think of a situation that is going to take place in the next day or so. It can be anything like a business meeting with a client, a sports match you are playing in or cooking a meal for your friends, it can be anything at all.

Close your eyes and think only about positive things that can come from this situation. Think of the best possible outcome, the impact it will have on yourself and how it will positively impact the other people involved. Think all things positive about this for a three minutes and slowly open your eyes.

Notice how this has lifted your mood and calmed you. You might feel more awake after this but most importantly notice how it has relaxed your body. Any early morning tension you might have had should have gone and you should feel more relaxed and ready to start your day.

Mindful Possessions

Think of an item that you currently have that is with you for most of the day. You can always choose or purchase something new if you don’t have something like this already. It can be a piece of jewellery that you always wear, a photo of a person or place in your wallet or handbag, an old coin from a holiday or a toy mascot that you keep at your desk. It can be anything at all.

Whenever your mind starts to wonder or starts racing through thoughts, or perhaps you start to feel anxious about something. Touch and look at your chosen item. Start to breath slowly and bring you mind back to the present. If any thoughts pop up just look at them in a non judgemental way, continue to breath slowly and bring your mind back to the present. Your item is being used as a cue to bring your thoughts back to this moment.