Starting a mindfulness practice doesn’t need to be a complex affair. You can test it out over a couple of weeks and keep it if useful or move on to something else if not.
Has someone ever recommended mindfulness or meditation to you?
If you’re nodding, you’re not alone (and also I can’t see you). I barely heard any mention of it when I was training as a psychologist (we carried our neuroses proudly), but nowadays mindfulness meditation is right up there with ‘eat better’, ‘get more active’, and ‘look after your sleep’. It has become a core lifestyle recommendation.
And as with those other lifestyle recommendations, a person needs a starting point. Just being told to “mindfully meditate” isn’t a very actionable instruction.
That’s usually when things start to get a bit out of control. A quick search reveals an enormous number of mindfulness and meditation apps. Visit a platform like Insight Timer and you’ll likely be overwhelmed with the sheer number of meditations available. Even a simple search on YouTube will net you a dizzying array of options, leaving you more stressed than when you started. Mindfulness apps are the new cereal aisle.
So, where do you begin?
Simple, Curated Starting Points
As a Flinders student, a great place to start is visit our wellbeing and performance programs page and pick one of the mindful ones.
I also commonly recommend this free, time-limited course from Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield: Mindfulness Daily. It gives you a fantastic and structured grounding in mindful practices without a huge upfront commitment.
For those interested in the education and research sector, the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies (M3CS) is probably one of the leading groups in Australia studying and educating on mindful practices. I subscribe to their email newsletter, and today it included a link to their Spotify presence: a playlist of 21 guided mindfulness exercises.
This is a fantastic, high-quality, and free resource. So, how might you incorporate it into your day?
A Simple 2-Week Experiment
Think of this as a small experiment in your own wellbeing. No pressure, just curiosity.
- Follow: If you’re a Spotify user, ‘follow’ the M3CS playlist.
- Schedule: Set aside a time block (20 minutes is ample) each day when you can find a quiet spot and be still. Put it in your calendar like any other appointment.
- Choose: Pick one of their guided exercises. Don’t overthink it.
- Listen: Follow along with the instructions.
- Notice: Afterwards, take a brief moment to note how you feel. No judgement, just observation.
- Repeat: Do this for at least a couple of weeks to give it a fair chance.
- Reflect: At the end of the two weeks, ask yourself: ‘Has this been a net positive addition to my life?’
If the answer is yes, fantastic! Protect that timeslot and continue exploring guided meditations from M3CS or other sources. You are welcome to contact me if you need suggestions.
If the answer is no, that’s also fantastic! You’ve learned something. Feel free to put mindfulness aside for now and consider exploring another wellbeing-focused activity. The key is to keep the 20-minute timeslot if you can, but explore other ways to use it. You might find some inspiration from the Greater Good in Action website from UC Berkeley.
What Else Can You Do in 20 Minutes?
Put simply, there is immense value in carving out a little bit of time in each day and dedicating it to your own health and wellbeing.
The options for using that time are many. You could try:
- A brisk walk around the block
- Calling a friend for a quick chat
- Journaling your thoughts
- Mindfully preparing and eating a healthy snack
- Doing some simple stretches or a short yoga routine
- Reading a chapter of a book (for fun!)
- Listening to an album with your full attention
- Sketching, doodling, or colouring
- Doing a crossword or sudoku puzzle
- Sitting outside with a cup of tea, just watching the world go by
There is no rule that mindfulness meditation needs to be the thing that works for you. However, its strong evidence base and the availability of good quality catalogues like the M3CS one mean it isn’t a silly place to start.
Over to you: Have you already got moments in your day carved out for your health? I’d be very interested to hear what you do in those moments (assuming it is PG-rated!). Let us know in the comments.