Welcome to Mindful January!
However you are choosing to start this year, maybe with new goals, dreams, hopes or intentions, the hardest part can be sticking to new habits. Let go of any pressure you might feel to be or act in a certain way, if you aren't interested in new fitness goals or are just as bored of the 'new year new me' ads that companies bombard us in January then good for you. Perhaps this is a sign that you need to listen a little more closely to what your soul is calling for.
Why not join me for a month of mindfulness to help you tune in and connect with yourself on a deeper level? All you need is to invest a few minutes of your time and energy each day and be prepared to carve out space for you. From mindful breathing to meditation to movement and lots more, dive into a month of self-care. Learn how to practise mindfulness, improve your wellbeing and nourish the mind and soul all totally free, completely accessible for all and created from the heart.
Mindful January
Day 27 of Mindful January
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Today's mindfulness practice is all about connecting with nature. When you next head outside, take time to feel the temperature of the air on your skin. Feel the weather, maybe a breeze, the sun, drizzle, on your face and in your hair. Tune into the sounds around you. Feel each footstep you place on the earth. Notice the sounds, smells, the space around you. Breathe it all in.
Day 24 of Mindful January
Tense and release. Come to sit or lye yourself down in a quiet space and breathe in and out through the nose. Take soft and gentle breaths, making them a little deeper if you can. As in next inhale, start to tense the fists a little and bring the shoulders up towards the ears. Exhale and release the fists, uncurl the fingers and relax the shoulders. Repeat this a few more times and let go of physical tension in the places where we habitually keep it pent up. Breathe and let go.
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Day 23 of Mindful January.
For this practice you'll need to light a candle. If you can, find a quiet and dark space and rest the candle somewhere safe where you can see it. Settle into a comfy seated position in front of the candle. Bring your focus onto the flame and watch it flicker and sway from side to side. Keep your focus on the colour, the brightness and the movement. Let all other thoughts go and drift away, come back to the flame. Keep coming back to the flame and letting go of thoughts. Breathe in and out through the nose softly, keep focused on the candle light. Stay here in the present for as long as you can with your breath and the flame.
Day 22 of Mindful January
Today we explore the 2:4 breathing practice. This pranayama technique is another great way to tune into the present moment, slow down and reduce stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Breathing is such an incredible way to relax the body physically and soothe the mind. So take a moment to settle into a calm space and allow your body and breath to be. Close down the eyes and start to take the break a little deeper down towards the belly. Inhale for a count of 2, exhale slowly for a count of 4. Repeat this for 5 - 6 rounds or longer and allow the slow release of the breath to bring feelings of calm.
Day 20 of Mindful January
Cultivate self-love. Today we are making a little space to tune into that sel-love. Find a few minutes of quiet and list everything you love about yourself. It could be qualities, your achievements, ambitions, your purpose, your kindness, your strengths. List as many things as you can think of. You could even write these down or record yourself saying them to come back to another time. Breathe in these words, really feel these words and remember that you are loved. You are worthy. You bring light and joy into the world.
Day 19 of Mindful January
Focus on a single task. Our often hectic lives can lead to us multi tasking most of the time and this has become so normal for most of us that it can lead to burn out or feelings of stress. For this practice, whatever task you complete next, take your time to really be fully present in it. Whether you're unloading the dishwasher or writing an email or reading, the moment you notice thoughts of other things coming in, refocus on the task at hand, let them go and be present. Keep coming back to the task as much as you need to, it is normal for our brains to be distracted. The goal is to complete a task and be fully focused and present on that single task during that time.
Day 17 of Mindful January
Mindful tasting. When you next have something to eat or drink, really pay attention and focus on the physical movements or sensations in the body. Appreciate how the food or drink tastes and how it makes you feel. It may make you feel calm, warm, refreshed. Breathe in this feeling and continue sipping your drink or enjoying your food savouring each bit and enjoying the flavour and feeling.
Day 16 of Mindful January
Notice. This mindfulness practice is all about keeping you rooted in the present and paying attention to small, minor things going in around you. Start by coming to a comfortable seated position and close your eyes. Begin to feel the breath in the body, the gentle rise and fall of the chest. Feel the connection of the body and the ground. Feel the clothing under your skin. What sounds can you hear around you? What colours can you see behind the eyes? Really notice these feelings. Is the air warm, is it cool is it chilly. Stay here for a few more moments, breathing, being and taking notice. Then slowly flutter open the eyes.
Day 12 of Mindful January
Acceptance. Today's mindfulness practice is acceptance. When we are more self-aware and present with our thoughts and feelings, we can take better care of our mental health. Acceptance is surrendering and opening yourself up fully, not holding on to anything and experiencing everything in full. Find a quiet space and come to stillness. Close your eyes and take 4 deep breaths. Focus in on thoughts. Identify any feelings or emotions. These are all valid. Let go of judgement you might hold against any of these. Let go of the need to be in control of everything. Allow yourself and your thoughts and emotions to be, especially the things you cannot change. Bring focus to things you can control and change. Breathe. Acknowledge and accept all feelings in their entirety. Stay here for as long as you need to.
Day 11 of Mindful January
Acts of kindness. Showing kindness, love and compassion helps us to build connections with others around us and build a deeper connection with ourselves. It makes us happier and allows us to be open and fill our hearts. When you show someone an act of kindness, observe your reaction and feelings and the impact it has had on the recipient, even if this is yourself. Your act of kindness could be giving yourself some quiet time in your day, helping somebody who needs it, giving your time to a loved one. Whatever you act is, share kindness, love and compassion today and feel its benefits on both you and the recipient.
Day 9 of Mindful January
Change the mind chatter. We all have chatter going on in our minds. Sometimes it can be good, sometimes it can be neutral and sometimes it can be negative. It changes all the time. The way we talk to ourselves matters. It effects our mood and mindset and can impact our emotional wellbeing massively. So next time you notice that the mind chatter is negative, pause and ask yourself these 3 questions to change it up:
1) Is this encouraging or helpful?
2) Is this rational or reasonable?
3) Would I speak to a friend in this way?
Tune in to that mind chatter and practise switching negative thoughts to more positive and compassionate thoughts and channel that self-love.
Day 8 of Mindful January
3, 4, 5 breath. Today's practice is a breathing technique that you can do anywhere at anytime and repeat as much as you like! Sit or lye down somewhere comfortable where you can be still for a few minutes. Close your eyes and start to focus on your breath. Maybe bring one hand to rest on your belly and your other hand to rest on your chest. Let your breath gently flow in and out through the nose, not forcing or straining.
Then as you next breathe in, inhale for a count of 3, hold at the top of your inhale for a count of 4 and slowly release your exhale for a count of 5. Repeat again as much as feels good. Retaining and then slowing the breath can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, lower our heart rate and bring feelings of calm.
Day 7 of Mindful January
Gratitude. Take a moment to reflect on what you are grateful for today. This super easy mindfulness practice has a massive impact that can jotted down in a journal or even just making a mental note. We have so much for be thankful for so spend a moment or two thinking about all of the positives
Spending just 5 minutes a day practising gratitude can increase your overall and long term wellbeing by more 10%. Even when the world feels heavy, we can support our emotional wellbeing with finding gratitude in small things such as our health, loved ones or just breathing in fresh air.
Day 5 of Mindful January
Affirmations are a great way to build your self-care and inner strength. By repeating affirmations to yourself, you are affirming your hopes, dreams or desires and throwing them out into the ether. Like a type of manifesting. More importantly, they can help to shift our thinking by creating 'positive thought' neurons in our brains and reducing 'negative thought' neurons. Affirmations offer a deep reassurance that we can make things our reality.
Close your eyes, take 3 deep breaths in and out then repeat these 3 affirmations to yourself as many times as you need to - or feel free to make your own!
I have the power to make changes in my life
I deserve to feel joy
I am strong and already have everything I need within me
Day 4 of Mindful January
Today’s practice is an easy but very effective grounding technique. If you’re feeling stressed, anxious or feeling a loss of control this is handy mindfulness tool to have up your sleeve.
First pause and look for 5 things that you can see around you. Then find 4 things you can feel or touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things that you can smell and 1 thing that you can taste. Identifying the senses (also known as the 5,4,3,2,1 technique) helps to ground and centre the mind to establish a calmer connection with the body.
Day 3 of Mindful January
Journalling can be useful to help work through some of your mind chatter and process emotions and feelings. In a world where we are constantly distracted, always super busy and bombarded with information, putting pen to paper can help to unfrazzle the mind!
There are loads of different types of journals (like food, travel, gratitude - maybe all of the above) and no one way is best! However you choose to journal, it can be a great self-care tool as you are being present, mindful of yourself, developing self-awareness and growing.
Grab a pen and paper or open up your notes app on your phone and have a go at scribbling with these journal prompts...
What was challenging for you in 2022?
What brought you joy?
What are you grateful for?
What are you most proud of yourself for?
What do you love about you?
What are you learning to love about you?
