Posted By Bodie Coates

I left off in my last post with some ideas about being mindful and practicing noticing your world. Today’s post will give you a little more insight into how to go about doing this. Let me give you a couple of starter tips.

First, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Yes, I know how cliché that sounds, but it truly brings our awareness of self into perspective when we do it.

Count as you breathe in to 4, then count again as you breathe out to 5, and pause briefly between breaths as you count to 4. This 4-5-4 breathing beings you back into your body and forces your brain to be aware of its own consciousness, thus inspiring awareness.

Afterward, open your eyes a little wider than normal would and scan your world. Start by looking up. We really don’t look up enough and we miss a lot of cool stuff up there. Make a circle and look to your side, then down, and then to the other side, finishing by looking back straight ahead. Do this as slowly as you can tolerate and try to notice as much as you can as you do. Really take it all in, and if you find yourself getting distracted, remember the Tiger Beetle and strive to be more mindful than she is!

Practice this once (or more) daily and notice an improved outlook on life being to grow as your brain starts to be more and more mindfully aware of its presence in the world.