Mindfulness is being taught in medical centers and clinics across the country and has been acknowledged as a valid form of treatment by the National Institutes of Health. Here are some simple ways mindfulness can effect positive changes in your mental and physical health.

1) Learn to breathe. Sit in a quiet place in a comfortable position and just focus on your breathing. The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program recommends you try to breathe slowly through you nose, quietly inhaling and exhaling and feel the tension release in your body.

2) Practice Deep Tasting. In one study on mindfulness training, at West Virginia University, participants were taught the deep tasting method. They spent a lot of time eating a raisin: looking at it, smelling it, and taking only small bites to enjoy the taste. This, according to Kimberly Williams, lead investigator on the study, “brings an awareness to the body that normally is always being rushed.”

Williams emphasizes the need to slow down. “If you give all of your attention to something, you get deeply touched by that experience,” she said. “We all know what it’s like to eat our favorite food: we slow down, we savor it, we take our time. And that is what makes it so enjoyable.” And don’t get distracted while you eat. Enjoy your food, without interruptions.

3) Practice Deep Walking. Try the same thing with walking. Listen to the way your body breathes; feel your legs, your feet and your joints as they move in stride. Experience the solitude of the walk. Listen to things around you. Be aware of your body as it moves.
In a study called the Ruth Stricker Mind/Body Study, 135 people were divided into five groups and told to do a particular activity 30 minutes each day for 16 weeks. One group was told to walk quickly, another to walk slowly, the third group to walk even more slowly while practicing deep walking, the fourth group to do tai chi and the fifth group to do nothing. Researchers found the group that practiced the deep walking had the highest reduction in anxiety – even higher than the tai chi group.

4) Do one thing at a time. In this crazy world of rushing and multi-tasking, that’s not always an easy thing to do. But try it. If you are talking to a friend, put your blackberry down. If you are reading your e-mail, read each one instead of flipping through them quickly or talking on the phone while you read them. If you are driving, never talk on a cell phone. When doing a task, do just that one task, finish it and then move on to the next.

Source : CNN