- Upon waking in the morning (set a reminder if needed) spend the first few minutes – 10 sitting comfortably observing your breath, thoughts and emotions. See if you can sustain complete focus on following your natural breath for 10 minutes without thinking. When thinking does arise how quickly can you drop the thought? Consider this as morning mental sharpening (more vital than brushing your appearance) and experience how your mind operates more sharper throughout the day when most needed. (Simple form of mediation – improved mental dexterity – stress less)
2. In the morning sunrise go outside (any season) for 10-20 minutes directly into the sunlight, the more surface skin you are comfortable to expose (60% surface skin ideal) the easier it is to just feel the suns rays being absorbed by your eyes-skin-body. (Sunlight Circadian activation – improved inner body awareness – improved morning energy and restful evening)
3. See if it is possible for 10-20 minutes in the day (in your nearest nature-dense area) to “walk as if your kissing the Earth with your feet” (Thich Nhat Hanh). If you are unsure of what that means then you can take-off your shoes and walk on the Earth (grass, sand soil) and see for yourself. Walking with increased lightness and sensitivity from the feet throughout the whole body – walking with higher awareness within the inner body. (Natural movement; simple walking with awareness / Earthing-Grounding)
4. When you are about to eat something first stop take a picture of the food/liquid on your phone. Then ask yourself if you were living on this Earth a couple of thousand of years ago would you be eating this? Nothing further is required aside from an inner answer. When you eat, chew slowly without external distractions, focus only on the inner sensation of the food moving down your body. Are the inner sensations pleasant and satiating followed with vibrant energy or tiredness, indigestion or brain-fog? Mini-journal entry your own meal experience with each image of the food to summarize your experience of taste, enjoyment, satiation and energy-transition pre-post eating. This strategy can help you optimize what, when and how to fuel your best self for sustainable physical energy and mental focus in changing situations.
5. Throughout your working or learning day in between the endless array of to-do-lists and tasks ahead practice drawing your “full attention” on three or more diamphramic breaths (breathing into the belly where it expands not the chest) between each task or thing you do. It may take some practice for full attention to arise but the experience is associated with muscular relaxation, mental endurance, creativity thinking and stress resilience. This is a incredibly simple, subtle and powerful as an awareness technique, however not always easy especially if there is much thinking momentum. The technique works just as well if you notice your breath is short and shallow or the onset of stress. Diaphramic breathing with full attention activates the para-sympathetic nervous system, enabling ease when tension arises and throughout an active day. Great for active recovery.
6. When you have your daily warm shower (best in the morning), experiment in the final 30-60 second with a gradual shift into cooler water. Don’t go straight into cold without prior experience as this can be dangerous and non-productive if the process isn’t honored. For most this isn’t initially pleasant due to a resistance pattern to the cold, just remember this is within your comfort zone and the point is use the cold stress trigger to train your everyday stress response to higher resilience. Yes, you can handle daily physical and mental stressors better through this technique. Before you start adjusting to colder temperature follow your natural rhythmic breath and ensure it is slow and relaxed. As you make the gradual shift to cold keep following your relaxed rhythmic breathing and feel your entire body respond to the change. Make only gradual changes in temperature and duration each time. The point is keep composure mentally and physically at your level now so handle daily challenges with the same composure. Throughout this practice you can experience: increase core temperature, heightened sensory aliveness, improved mental focus, improved immune system, improved sleep quality, Non-active metabolic increase, lower body-brain inflammation, increase in pain resilience, increase in inner body awareness and more.
Upon your threshold (too cold and/or too long) you may feel an interruption to your breathing pattern, to holding your breath for longer or more rapid-shallow breathing and/or a sense of physical degeneration (skin pain, muscle seizing, dizziness). Therefore only progress into the cold with great vigilance and respect for its power to benefit and detriment. These signs are only warnings we’ve gone too far – so only mirco steps that are enjoyable and noticeable throughout the day.
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