One of the best ways to practice mindfulness is to build it into your movements and habits.  Simple daily and moment to moment actions like crossing a threshold, picking up your phone, touching a doorknob, are habitual movements.  You can use these to anchor your mindful practices and build calming moments into your day.

Use these prompts to remind you to pause, get present and then proceed.  You’ll find greater ease in your day as you cultivate more mindfulness.   

The 3 P’s – Pause, get Present, Proceed

Pause: Stop, take a breath, drop in, notice this moment

get Present: Drop in, being aware of what is happening in the moment, experiencing body sensations, noticing thoughts, feeling emotions. Staying present with and accepting whatever arises just as it is moment by moment without reactivity.

Proceed: Using mindful speech and action to respond skillfully, compassionately, and with positive intention to whatever needs attention in this moment.

REFLECTION QUESTION: What do you notice when you regularly practice Pausing, getting Present and then thoughtfully Proceeding?  Can you find a rhythm in this practice?

Mindfulness is “The awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

Or, as Guy Claxton puts it, “Mindfulness is simply the knack of noticing without comment whatever is happening in your present experience”

Lisa Wellington is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher who writes about integrative practices that downshift stress, increase insight, and jumpstart joy.

She is best known for her work with law enforcement professionals as well as those challenged by housing instability and addiction. Trained in the Fine Arts at Washington State University, she specializes in group training that engages participants’ inherent creativity.

If she is not under a stack of books about psychology and spirituality, she can be found at a Puget Sound beach or nearby trail, always searching for the absurd, which is her superpower.