Any activity can become an opportunity to practice mindfulness once you give it your full attention - mind, body, and heart...🌳🌱 🌼 This coming weekend, why not try gardening as an opportunity to practice some mindfulness?
Start by setting the intention to give this time your full attention.
Leave your phone inside, and start to tune into the sensations in your body as you work with the plants, weeds, and soil.
Focus your attention on the task at hand. As much as you can, leave the list-making and thoughts of the past or future aside for now, and give your full attention to what you're doing. From time to time, turn your attention to your breath for a few cycles and notice how it feels in your body as it moves in and out.
When thoughts pop up (and they will), try to not get too caught up in them. Just notice the thought - gently, kindly, and lightly - and return your full attention to the task at hand.
No garden? No problem. Even just spending a minute or two mindfully picking up leaves from your landscaping does the trick.
By incorporating your mindfulness practice into an everyday activity you would have done anyway, you might just find that you're able to give yourself the gift of a few precious minutes of mindfulness - and for many people, just a few minutes a day makes the world of difference.💚