I am talking with Nina Kathryn of the Mindful Living Blog on what it means to live mindfully. Mindful living, which she explains, is "not a linear process; rather, it’s a series of steps that could be taking place in different areas of your life at the same time."

Nina defines mindful living as “the all-encompassing transformation that takes place when we practice awareness.” She goes on to explain that “we need to be aware more than we need to be right, whatever helps us understand the concept of awareness and practice it in our own lives is more important than having a formal definition.”   

How do we engage in mindful living?

Acknowledge and observe your thoughts, emotions and sensations. For example, hold a pen in your hand and acknowledge that you are holding a pen in your hand. Same can be applied to thoughts and emotions by acknowledging a feeling and moving on. 

Practice self-inquiry so that you may try to make sense of your experiences. 

Why do I feel this way? What is happening that brought me to this? 

Ask supportive questions using positive language vs. judgmental language and practise showing yourself compassion for whatever comes up.

Allow space for your thoughts, emotions, sensations and respond from a place where you can observe rather than immediately engaging in problem-solving.

• Develop a habit of finding time for meditation techniques. 

• Journal.

• Find what feels good to you! For example, if you are an internal processor you might have a much easier time writing down your thoughts than verbally expressing them. Whereas, an external processor might prefer speaking to someone in their life who is a trusted individual and is a sounding board.

Connect with your true self.

Practice operating from a place of awareness while inviting a sense of curiosity.

How do we make mindful living tangible?

• Identify areas of your life where you are reactive.

• When you find yourself in this situation, practice pausing and observing. Easy way to do this is to connect with your breath - “personal pause button.”

• Pick out a few points of self-inquiry that resonate with you. For instance, what has factored into what I am feeling? Where do I feel this in my body? Where is the tension? What is this causing me to do in this situation?

• Find a mindful technique that feels good to you. "Go deep and not wide" so rather than trying journaling, yoga, and meditation all at once, to start with pick one!

Guest Info

Nina writes extensively on how to slow down, find inner peace and how to practice mindfulness. Please visit the Mindful Living Blog  for additional articles, resources and inspiration! You can also listen to Nina's guided mediations on Spotify and Anchor.