The classic way of cultivating mindfulness is through meditation.
Basic mindfulness meditation involves bringing your attention to the physical sensation of breathing (for example, how air feels as it moves through the nose). The breath is used as an always-available anchor to the present moment.
Inevitably, your attention leaves the breath and wanders to other places. When you notice that your mind has wandered, you gently return your attention to the breath.
A common misconception about meditation is that the goal is to achieve and maintain a “blank mind” with no intrusive thoughts. Many people give up on meditation after a few tries, believing that they’re just not good at it. But as this fun 2-minute animated video explains, this kind of “failure” is actually success. The video (shared by permission of the kind folks at Happify) is narrated by Dan Harris of ABC News, the author of 10% Happier.
(By the way, you don’t have to sit on the floor with your legs crossed. You can sit in a chair. Or you can explore walking meditation.)
