Mindfulness for students: start practising it

Mindfulness is an ancient practice that originated in Buddhism, but has now become popular and accessible to everyone. Mindfulness has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it has been shown to have numerous benefits for mental and physical health. That’s why today we tell you what it is and how you can practice it in your daily life to reduce stress if you are a student.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a meditation and mindfulness practice that has become popular in Western culture in recent decades. It is based on the idea of paying mindful attention to the present moment, without judging or analysing what you are experiencing. The practice of mindfulness has been shown to have a number of mental and physical health benefits, including reduced stress, improved emotional well-being, increased ability to concentrate and improved sleep quality.

Aims of mindfulness

Some of the common goals of mindfulness include:

• Reduce stress and anxiety: Mindfulness practice can help people better manage stress and anxiety by teaching them to recognise and accept their thoughts and feelings without judgement.
• Improve sleep quality: By practising mindfulness, people can learn to release pent-up tension in the body and mind. This can help improve sleep quality.

Benefits

Practising mindfulness can bring you a number of benefits, including:

• Increasing body awareness: Mindfulness practice can help people increase their body awareness and develop a greater sense of balance and harmony in the body.
• Improved self-relationship: Mindfulness practice can help people develop greater self-understanding and self-acceptance. This can improve the relationship with oneself.
• Improve interpersonal relationships: By practising mindfulness, people can learn to pay more attention to their interactions with others and develop greater empathy and understanding for others.

How to practice mindfulness?

There are many ways to practice, and no specific place is required to do so. Some of the most common ways to practice mindfulness include:

• Meditation: Meditation is one of the most common ways to practice mindfulness. You can meditate anywhere, from your home to a park to a workplace. Meditation can be guided or unguided.
• Yoga: Yoga is another popular way to practice mindfulness. Yoga combines meditation techniques with physical exercises to help people connect with their body and the present moment.
• Walking in nature: Walking in nature is a way to connect with the world around you and to practice mindfulness. You can walk in a park, in a forest, on the beach, in a garden.

Introductory exercises

• Mindfulness meditation: this exercise consists of sitting comfortably and focusing on your breathing. You can count your breaths or simply pay attention to how the air moves in and out of your lungs. If you get distracted, simply return to focusing on your breathing.
• Full body meditation: This exercise involves paying attention to every part of your body, from your feet to your head. You can sit or lie down comfortably and simply pay attention to how each part of your body feels.
• Mindful walking: This exercise involves walking and paying attention to your physical sensations as you walk. You can pay attention to how your feet feel as you walk, how the air feels on your face, and how the sun feels on your skin.