Now that we’ve set the mood by discussing mindfulness, how to establish a practice, and how it all fits together with having the mind of a successful person, let’s get to the meat of the matter. I want to offer you some mindfulness techniques that you can use as part of your toolkit on your path to success.
These techniques assume that you’ve already set the context by maintaining a daily mindfulness practice. Your daily practice, in the morning or evening, will be the anchor that moors your path within an overall atmosphere of expanded awareness and relaxed but focused, alert attention.
The Importance of Rest
The first “technique” is not so much a technique as an important point about how to treat your mind and body if you want to be successful in anything. Many people on the path to success are so driven by their ambitions that they neglect their own mental and physical health. They forget to rest.
Remember, mindfulness is largely about being kind to yourself. But even if you have a disciplined, daily practice of mindfulness and are diligent in using mindfulness techniques in the pursuit of your goals, all of that will only lead to burnout or a breakdown if you don’t take the time to let your mind and body rest. The key thing to understand about rest is that it’s important to spend some of your time on things that are not part of your to-do list.
Let’s talk about the body first, because resting the body is the precondition for resting the mind. While we could say that resting the mind is a sort of synonym for meditation, resting the body means to give it whatever it needs to feel healthy, relaxed, and comfortable. That includes things like adequate sleep, a good diet, some sunshine and exercise.
This point can be highly individual. For instance, for some people, resting the body might involve getting a massage. Others might prefer taking a swim. But I think we can all agree that, whoever you are, you need enough sleep. Specifically, keeping a regular sleep schedule and getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night will ward off fatigue, lack of motivation, moodiness, and stress, among other symptoms of sleep deprivation.
We already touched upon one way to optimize sleep: turning off all the screens at least an hour before going to bed. Cell phones, computers, televisions—the constant flow of information doesn’t allow our minds to feel any space and interferes with our sleep patterns. Instead of hooking up your brain to technology in the evening, try reading a book. Take a short, relaxed walk around the neighborhood at night. Spend some time with your partner or spouse, or your dog or cat, if you have one. Skeptical? Prove me wrong. Try disconnecting from all devices for an hour in the evening every day for a week, and see for yourself how you feel afterwards.
Exercise is also an important component of rest. It may not sound very restful, but it’s important for your overall physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga is a very restful way of exercising your body that has a number of benefits for both body and mind. But it doesn’t have to be yoga. Other relaxing practices, such as tai chi, are also goods ways of boosting your health. If you don’t already have an exercise routine, it will be well worth the effort to learn yoga or something like it.
Don’t Get Knocked Off Your Seat
When you maintain your seat, it’s as if, whatever you do, your basic stance is solid and immovable. You are not a flimsy or frivolous person, because you hold your awareness steadily, with dignity and stability. As long as you keep your seat, obstacles, setbacks, disappointments, negative thoughts, politics, drama-none of them can faze you.
But sometimes something comes along that throws you for a loop. It doesn’t have to be bad news, although it often is. It could even be something apparently positive, like the unexpected good luck of winning money or falling in love. Or it could be that some hard work you did finally paid off, and you feel just ecstatic about it. At that time, if you allow sudden events or surprises to make you lose the solidity and stability with which you hold your mind, you have lost your seat.
When that happens, it’s important not to let strong positive or negative emotions sweep you up in their current. Neither should you try to repress them with stoic discipline. Instead, practice the gentle method of touch-and-go that we talked about earlier. Touch on the spacious, meditative quality of mindful awareness that you’ve experienced in your meditation, then just as easily let it go. This reestablishes your presence of mind and brings you back to your seat.
