If you have been longing to connect with your inner self, find peace and enhance your mental health, mindfulness is the right tool for you.
While different cultures and theories have their own way of engaging in this ancient practice, their essence often remains the same. The goal is to become aware of the present moment and what you are feeling, thinking and behaving at the moment.
It plays a prominent role in the Buddhist culture, where it’s derived from the word ‘Sati’. It’s an ancient practice that emphasizes on your internal awarenss. This awareness is often linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
Types of mindfulness: Keys to inner peace
Which key would you want to try out first? (Image via Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)
It’s not about how you do it, rather how it helps you and why you want to try it out. There’re endless techniques that can help you become more mindful.
All these practices have a common thread to pay attention to yourself in a non-judgemental manner. Here are five common types of mindfulness you can try:
1) 5 sense mindfulness
As the name suggests the 5 sense technique encourages us to engage our senses and become more mindful using them.
The most common form of this tool is the 54321 grounding tool. Grounding exercises help us orient to the present and notice what’s in our control. Like a true Stoic would say, think about things that you can control and things that you can not.
To practice the 5 sense mindfulness, look at an object near you. It can be a persona, animal or thing. Once you look at them, engage your visual senses, and notice five characteristics about them that you can clearly see.
Next engage your hearing, and list four things you can hear. If you can’t hear anything, try imagining four positive tunes. Next, touch three things around you, and describe their texture.
How do they feel? Now, try to see if you can taste anything, and, finally, if you can describe one smell. Take your time in engaging your senses.
