There is no time more important than the present to be mindful. We are in a time of unprecedented change, our lives are restricted and no longer look like the lives we led mere months ago. Mindfulness offers us a way to be grateful, enjoy some calm and peace, and a way to lift our spirits on a daily basis.

These mindfulness activities can be done from your own home, and are great whether you are in lockdown alone or with your whole extended family. These are particularly great as they are activities that anyone can do, no matter how young or old. A great way to keep you and your loved ones calm and grounded…

1. Mindful Dance

Feeling down, bored or stressed in lockdown. Have a dance! This is a wonderful and joyful way to shake off whatever is bothering you. Whether you choose a bop or something a bit more relaxed, be aware of your body as you do this, making sure that you extend your energy through every limb and extremity.

To entertain your kids with this for longer than a few minutes, why not challenge them to go away and create a dance routine together?

2. Mindful Nap Time

A meditative power nap is a great way to rejuvenate yourself during the day. This can be done alone, or it can be done as a family. Put on some calming, music, get comfortable and close your eyes for 30 minutes. Whether you sleep, stretch or let your mind be quiet during this time, it is wonderful way to bring your conscience back to the self.

See HERE for some wonderful meditative music.

3. Mindful Bath/Shower

As most of us have got the time at the moment, why not make bath time or shower hour a bit more special, as opposed to a more everyday functional experience. Put some music on, light a candle, put on a face mask beforehand, and take your time. Really appreciate the soothing nature of the hot water, and take your time to wash with care as opposed to, what might usually be, a quick scrub!

4. Mindful Snacking

One of the hallmarks of being mindful is to focus on the moment, and the sensations you are experiencing within that moment. Any time at which you are consuming food is a great way to practice this; a great opportunity to fully experience and appreciate the food. For example:

“I once had a group and someone shared this story with me: During the war, her parents could only afford one bar of chocolate a week. So, every Friday evening, the whole family sat together by the fireplace and broke up the bar of chocolate. Two pieces for mum. Two pieces of dad. And one piece for each of the three children. When they received that piece of chocolate, they slowing put the piece of chocolate in their mouth and tried to make the chocolate last for as long as possible.

She told me it was the most delicious experience of chocolate she ever had. And I’m almost certain it’s not because of the make of chocolate. It’s the way they ate it – savouring every moment.” – Shamash Alidina

Whatever you and your kids are snacking on, make it an experience; make it conscious as opposed to passive. Encourage them to savour the tastes, textures and smells of what they are snaking on.

5. Mindful Cooking

Food, as we might be reminded from the point above, is a multi-sensory experience. Why not invite your children to cook with you? Encourage them to get involved; to smell and feel the ingredients, to see and learn about what happens to food when you cook it, to listen to the sound of something boiling or frying in a pan. To notice these things is to be mindful of the process.

Great things for kids to get involved in the preparation of include; dough kneading, batter mixing, salad tossing or pasta rolling.

6. Mindful Letter Writing

One of my friends, during lockdown, has been writing a letter a day to one of her friends. She has designed her own cards, written bespoke messages on the front, and filled said card with kind words and thoughts for that person. This is a great thing to do, not just for adults, but also for children. Sit them down with their favourite craft bits and get them to pick three friends to write cards or letters to.

By Chris Thomson

New to this whole mindfulness thing? Here are some tips on how to get started from our archive… Mindfulness is My New Year’s Resolution! Where Do I Begin?

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 4 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Access Free Live Meditations & Energy Transmissions

Inside our private Facebook Group, The Conscious Professional Mindful Community where Neil leads live weekly community events. Join now for free.

2. Learn To Meditate With Neil Seligman In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.  

3. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Conscious Coaching Partnership is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil here.

4. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post Mindful Activities for You and Your Kids appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

Lockdown, I think it is fair to say, has changed things for everyone. It’s a tough time, cluttered with many worries and difficulties. However, I would argue that there have been some pleasures and benefits to be enjoyed.

It seems to me that this is a particularly important time to practice gratitude. It is the positive that drives us, the good things in life. These are the things that not only humble us, but also uplift us; they remind us of the great tongs we have in our lives and give us hope.

Everybody is different. Although the pandemic crisis is affecting us all, it is doing so in different ways. We will all have different things to be grateful for. Here are the positives I have drawn this time… perhaps you will recognise some of them and feel uplifted…

1.What I Have

Of course, there are many things that I miss; shop bought coffee, seeing people in person, restaurants, hugs… maybe even public transport a little bit! There are many things to miss. However, the stripping down of both my material and social life has made me feel more grateful towards the things that I do have. I have a lovely family at home, a nice flat to live in, that flat is in a part of London filled with trees and greenery. I live in a time with technology and easily available entertainment… contact and amusement might not have been so easily available even 20 years ago. I have food in the house and I can lie in more.

There are so many things to appreciate… things that we take for granted on a daily basis as they often make up a smaller part of our day. I also am lucky enough to have things that others, perhaps, do not. I am grateful for what I have. What do you have?

2. My New Skills

I have learnt to skip. I have taken time to learn technique (there is knack to it, believe it or not!), put time into practice and researched what equipment will best help me achieve my goals. It might seem like a simple skill. However, it is an activity I now really enjoy, and one that I wouldn’t have found time to work on had I been going about my normal life. I have friends who have taken this time to learnt to cook, or dance, or do a handstand, or pick an instrument back up, or sew, or (in my sisters case) build a deck in the garden. What have you found more time for recently?

3. Time With My Loved Ones

Funnily enough, although I have not been in the same room as them, I have found time (thank you technology) to speak to friends more regularly in more casual way. I’d normally see friends occasionally… in fact, planning to get together with people often has to be planned weeks in advance. I have been speaking to friends without it being a big event; more casually. This has been a joy as it oddly feels more as if we are in each other’s everyday lives than usual.

4. Self-Improvement

Time filled with nothing has given me time to simply focus on the self. Stress often comes, certainly in my case, from a lack of time to check in with myself. I have found time to consider myself and my thoughts and opinions far more than I would have done usually.

5. The Need (and Ability) to Adapt

We have all had to adapt. I have been reminded how brilliant most people are at adapting when the situation requires it. Yes, I have had to work around restrictions on movement, work and food supplies, but I have made it work. From what I can see, so have many other people. I have been impressed at this ability to adapt, grateful for my own, and found myself feeling more hopeful about our future because of it.

When this is over…

This pandemic period will be over one day. One day we will once again be able to go into coffee shops and pubs again, walk in parks, see friends and family at will and travel wherever we wish. These things we always a privilege, and this time has reminded me as such. When things to begin to feel more ‘normal’ again, remember this time, and be grateful that it is done and for the freedoms we will once again be able to enjoy.

By Chris Thomson

Quarantining can make gratitude tricky to practice, especially on days when it is really getting you down. Here are a few ideas on how to manage those negative thoughts… 6 Ways to Override Negative Thoughts

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 4 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Access Free Live Meditations & Energy Transmissions

Inside our private Facebook Group, The Conscious Professional Mindful Community where Neil leads live weekly community events. Join now for free.

2. Learn To Meditate With Neil Seligman In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.  

3. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Conscious Coaching Partnership is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil here.

4. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post Gratitude: Being Grateful in ‘The Lockdown Age’ appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

As someone said wisely – we are going through the same storm but we are not all in the same boat. So if you are feeling like your mindfulness practice is slipping and you would like it back here are seven tips to help you do just that.

1. Find Objects That Support Your Practice

You do not need to spend money on this but simply gather a few objects from around the house that will become part of your ritual during lockdown, and help you find your way back to your seat each day. You will need a cushion and mat (a folded blanket works just as well) if you sit on the floor. Sitting on a chair is fine too. I have a few sacred objects around me – a crystal I found inside a teddy bear in a gift store in California (yes really), a candle made by my friend Nid Ra, and a small singing bowl from my favourite retreat centre, Esalen. Choose something that is meaningful to you – a photo, a flower, an object that makes you smile.

You will also need a small kitchen timer with an alarm. Using a timer allows your mind to stop worrying about time and will also keep you from falling asleep and missing your next zoom. (I prefer this to using my phone as smartphones are mindfulness kryptonite).

Finally, select a notepad to be your Mindfulness Journal. Find one with a cover that inspires you or draw something beautiful on it. I prefer blank, not lined, inside pages as the space will challenge you to be creative as you journal. If you feel the urge to draw something alongside your notes, absolutely do so. Allow the doodles to mix with the words.

2. Start Small

Start with a five minute practice and build up to twenty if it feels good to do so. Learn how the body and mind respond to different periods of meditation and find the right duration for your lifestyle.

Allow yourself some flexibility, accepting that some days you will have more or less time to dedicate to your practice, and that is OK.

3. Create A Ritual

At the time of your practice each day go through the same actions. For me, that means picking up my cushion, placing it in front of the window, setting up my timer, Mindfulness Journal and pen and placing my cup of chamomile tea at my side. I then take my seat and begin my practice. Every day the ritual is the same and I try to bring present moment awareness to each of those simple actions of preparation as part of the practice itself. The ritual helps me orient myself towards mindful awareness even before I close my eyes.

4. Work With Distractions

A glaring distraction in my morning meditation during lockdown is that I am sometimes joined by Ty (a large labrador) who tries all his tricks to get my attention. I close my eyes, he nuzzles my ears. I centre myself, he licks my face. If I focus on my breath, he rams a toy in my hand. I ignore him, he sits squarely on my lap.

Now sometimes I acquiesce and we play together on the floor. In those moments I try to be fully present with him and the game becomes something of a meditation itself. Other times, he gives up his nuzzling and sits quietly at my side. We then both journey inward, he to sleep, and me into meditation.

Ty has taught me that an authentic mindfulness practice cannot be overly rigid and must include space for the spontaneous and the unexpected. So, do not wait for the time to be perfect, the house to be silent, or distractions to be absent to start. Mindfulness practice exists amongst the realities of daily life. The only perfect moment to practice is now.

5. Add Informal Practices To Your Day

The research shows that adding informal mindfulness practices into your daily routine as well as your formal sitting practice is highly beneficial. This is as true during lockdown as it is for ‘normal’ practice. An informal practice might be washing your hands for 20 seconds feeling the physical sensations of soap and water and the warmth of skin on skin, eating your sandwich mindfully at lunch and attending to physical sensations as you do so, or silently sending compassionate thoughts and intentions to others as you engage with them over the course of the day. Choose ones that will be easy for you to integrate in your busy life.

6. Keep Your Practice Varied

Different mindfulness practices develop different skills through lockdown. I like to keep my mindfulness practice varied by choosing a different focus each day. One day I will use an open-monitoring practice to simply notice what is arising within me. Another day I will take a single focus such as the breath or the flame of a candle and when my attention wanders I notice this and bring my focus back. Alternatively I sometimes focus on a person I love and take time to absorb the feelings of support and compassion that arise as I visualise them with me. A varied practice will keep you interested and keep you learning. My book 100 Mindfulness Meditations has plenty of daily inspiration if you need support with this.

7. Forgive Yourself Often

In order to create a long-term mindfulness practice, forgiveness is essential because there will be days, weeks and even months when you lose sight of your practice. Without forgiveness it may be impossible to find your way back. So, each time a practice is missed, forgive yourself as immediately and completely as you can and try not to let guilty feelings of missing practice to keep you away from the rich possibility of your next meditation.

Remember, your breath and body will always be ready and available to lead you directly into present moment awareness.

And breathe …

 By Neil Seligman

For more thoughts on how to keep yourself together during lockdown, checkout this informative piece from last week… Self Care During Solo Isolation

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 4 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Access Free Live Meditations & Energy Transmissions

Inside our private Facebook Group, The Conscious Professional Mindful Community where Neil leads live weekly community events. Join now for free.

2. Learn To Meditate With Neil Seligman In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.  

3. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Conscious Coaching Partnership is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil here.

4. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post 7 Secrets to Keeping Your Mindfulness Practice Alive Through Lockdown appeared first on The Conscious Professional.