Experience inner calm through mindfulness

In the last several years everyone has been talking about mindfulness. But what does it mean? And why is being mindful so important for us?

My dear colleague and friend Ute Gigler just founded her new business ‘Coaching Moves‘.

With ‘Coaching Moves’ Ute offers nature-based coaching, resilience trainings and more. All her offers can be really helpful tools for you, since we are often under pressure and live with very full schedules and countless challenges in our private and professional lives.

Therefore, I asked Ute to create a 3-part blog series on the topic. Go ahead and read part one now, entitled “experience inner calm through mindfulness”! (including several valuable tips and exercises for you):

When are we in a mindful state and what exactly does mindfulness entail?

We are in a mindful state by being in the present moment and when we consciously and without intention focus on ourselves or our environment. Mindfulness also entails an open and accepting state of mind that enables us to let go of expectations and judgements.

For instance, we experience mindfulness in our daily lives when we are engaged in a meaningful conversation or when listening to an excellent speaker. It is possible that at that very moment sounds or other distractions do not even enter our consciousness. Many people also manage to be in the present moment while painting, making music, hiking or walking.

Mindfulness in our jobs

Particularly in our roles as trainers or moderators, but also in many other professions, it is crucial that we are fully alert and in the present moment as often as possible. That means being in the midst of activities with all our senses and being aware of the group and ourselves. We have mastered that skill, once we have managed not to get distracted by conversations nearby or our thoughts of the following day.

Engaging in specific mindfulness exercises enables us to become calmer and more composed at every single moment of our daily lives – be it in our jobs or at home. Mindfulness heightens our awareness and shows us how we can leave reactive behavioural patterns behind us and handle our daily challenges more consciously and more appropriately. Mindfulness is also considered to be a basic skill in building resilience.

Specific, short practices for mindful day-to-day living

Being mindful can be wonderfully integratedinto our daily lives, be it when we eat, cook or brush our teeth. You can also consciously take a break during very stressful moments and become aware of what is happening with you at that very moment. Practicing only takes a few minutes – many have an easier time doing exercises in natural environments, because being outdoors demonstrably improves concentration, creativity and attentiveness.

Here are some of my favourite exercises:

Deep abdominal breathing: activating and balancing; can be practiced anywhere at any time

Sit up straight and place your hand on your abdomen. Feel, how your abdomen rises and falls again. Then breath in and out through your nose about 10 times. With every breath, you can imagine a ‘breathing in’ and ‘breathing out’ (or alternatively ‘coming home’ and ‘smiling’). You can also do this exercise standing upright or lying in a comfortable spot.

Standing in the woods/green environment: calming, relaxing, helps to raise our awareness

Find a safe and beautiful spot for yourself to stand in and begin by becoming aware of your surroundings by just looking around. Thereafter, just perceive what you hear and lastly what you can smell. The last step is to use all three senses simultaneously.

In invite you to experiment with mindfulness in your daily life and wish you joy in practicing. I look forward to hearing about your experiences. All the best, Ute Gigler