5 Steps to Create a Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness is an important aspect of a holistic wellness routine. It’s important for us to have introspection and emotional intelligence as well as healthy bodies. Creating a mindfulness practice can seem intimidating especially if you’re new to the world of mindfulness. Everyone’s routine and preferences are different and there is no “right” way to create a thoughtful balance in your life. Below are 5 practical steps to creating a mindfulness practice that works best for you.

Journal Your Goals The first step that I typically take with my clients is helping them create a journal of their top 3 goals. This could be for that week, month, or over the next few weeks. You can organize your goals based on timing. Reflect on what is your biggest challenge. Notice what words or thoughts come to mind as you journal about your goals and challenges. Reflect on what your biggest needs are and how you can make space for them. This could be tenderness, pause, movement, stillness. Anything that comes to mind - write it down and rate it from a scale of 1-10 for importance. From there - prioritize 3 actions that you can take for each goal that will help you reach those goals.

Practice Patience Patience is one key element to mindfulness. As you start this new journey - remember that this is a transition and allow yourself the time to fall into the new routine. If you forget to do something, try to change the goal so that it better suits you. Creating a new routine takes time, keep in mind that this process should bring your ease and joy.

Enjoy The Process Allowing yourself to practice non-judgement and find ease in the process can help create a greater sense of joy. Creating a new routine will bring up new emotions and challenges that will help you notice where you need to focus your attention. Respect your boundaries and journal about what works best for you and all of your ebbs and flows.

Revisit What Works You can always revisit your goals and make changes. As you modify your routine you’ll find a practice that works best for you - as your life changes your practice will change. Take note of how your goals are affecting you. Your needs and wants will be in flux and that’s completely normal, flow with your practice and let it change with you.

Accountability Check in with someone who you can chat with on a consistent basis to ensure you’re sticking with your goals. This could be someone who is also creating their own mindfulness practice or someone who already has one - this person can be there for you to process your goals and how your journey is going.

Everyone’s journey is different and there are many ways to create a practice. We are all unique and have needs that change with us as we grow