Mike

It’s really important to follow mindful practices such as doing daily mindful exercises and eating healthy, but there is something else you can do, which might cost you but it will probably make you feel better.

Today we will discuss mindfulness in interior design such as what is that concept and how to implement it practically. If you’re thinking about renovating your house/flat or you’re currently looking to buy or rent one, then this article comes at the best time.

Learn how to make your home feel like home and how it can work for you, rather than for you to work for it.

Current Trends Back Us

If you appreciate interior design and you keep up with the current trends, you might have noticed that mindfulness is already deeply entrenched in them. It’s no lie that we all live busy lives, busier than we are supposed to, so our home becomes our haven where we look for relaxation from the hustle and bustle of modern society.

Interior designers and homeowners alike speak of conscious design that would make us not only more relaxed, but also more aware of our surroundings, and if that’s not mindfulness, we don’t know what is. Keep reading to find out more about these trends.

Location

Let’s start with the basics – location. Real estate agents will tell you location is everything and they are right. We recommend choosing a spot away from big traffic spots because these places provide too many distractions. The best places, as you might guess, are those in nature like a petite cottage in a village.

However, do not sponsor big construction projects in virgin parts of nature, you don’t want to contribute to the dissolution of our natural world. Rather, pick an old house and renovate it if you can (they are cheaper anyway).

Physical Space

This is a big one and perhaps the hardest one to achieve. We are talking about the house itself and its structure, so you either need to find one that matches the mindfulness standards, build one yourself, or bring out the bulldozer.

Mindful architecture favours open floor plans which inspire us to be open ourselves. They provide less distractions and makes think of our home as a whole. Open floor plans also resemble sanctuaries such as churches and other religious temples and thus, subconsciously make us feel accepted and relaxed.

Windows

Group the open floor plan with massive windows, and you’re in for a treat. If you can afford to, you should cover at least one or two walls in your house with big panoramic windows. This will be especially beautiful if you are surrounded by nature.

Not only would the pretty view help you wind down after a long day, but it would also make you more aware of the surrounding world. More windows also translate to more sunlight which energises you and it’s good for plants as well. It would be even better if you can open these windows as fresh oxygen helps you focus better.

The Less, The Better

You might have already guessed that mindful living favours minimalism, and minimalism is very trendy in interior design right now. Think of your belongings, do you need them all? We don’t suggest getting rid of items with deep sentimental value, but we suggest that you think about whether everything you own holds value and whether it’s functional.

Getting rid of things can be extremely therapeutic and it will help you get a sense of what’s important in life. Don’t surround yourself with more distractions, keep focus.

You can look for minimalist interior ideas online to find furniture that is functional, yet beautiful. You can also find ideas on how to decorate a room with minimalist items. For example, you can only have a room with a table and chairs, no need for fluff.

Forget About Technology

Technology has made our lives much easier, but it has also made us lazier and less aware of our world and ourselves. Try to make your home as least reliant on technology as possible. Forget about all these smart home ideas, you don’t need a virtual assistant to live your life to the fullest.

Try also getting less smarter appliances, go back to the basic. In addition, you don’t need a TV in every room, this is especially true for the bedroom. You should have a space devoid of technology where you can relax and contemplate.

Plants, Plants, and More Plants

What’s more mindful than taking care of plants which provide us with much needed oxygen? Get those plants that you’ve always wanted to have and try not to kill them. It’d be even better if you have a big backyard. If that’s the case, we suggest planting functional plants that you can live off such as fruit trees, cabbage, tomatoes, whatever your heart desires.

If you live a more sustainable and more self-sufficient way of life, you will feel better yourself.

Mindful living is a philosophy and a state of being, and as such it covers all areas of life. We have to be mindful of our surroundings, our way of life, our treatment of nature, our food, and also our fashion choices. This is the topic of today’s article – how to dress in a way that is considered “mindful”.

We will discuss what mindful fashion is, as well as how to dress sustainably and what new trends are there for you to explore. Enjoy reading!

What is Mindful Fashion

Mindful fashion follows the core principles of mindful living, meaning that first, you should be mindful of your choices, no matter how insignificant they might seem at first. So, what is mindful fashion? It’s the opposite of mindless fashion or fashion being led by the principle ‘I must have this at all cost.’

First of all, fashion isn’t a matter of life and death, so you definitely don’t “need to have it”. You shouldn’t buy everything that arouses your interest. Once you start controlling yourself better and denying yourself unnecessary things and distractions, you will become more content with your life and thus, also become happier.

This is one of the core tenets of mindful fashion – a healthy degree of restraint when it comes to buying clothes. The other pillar of mindful fashion is loving yourself. You don’t need a specific item of clothing to be beautiful, you already are.

Clothes cannot heal our insecurities, only we can do that, and mindful living and fashion habits might be the way to achieve this. Love yourself as you are, love your body, and love your clothes. Don’t let fashion marketing deceive into thinking you’re not pretty or handsome enough if you don’t buy items from their latest clothing line.

How to Practice Mindful Fashion

Now let’s get to the practical application of mindful fashion. There are many different perspectives as to how to accomplish the goal of dressing in a mindful way, so we tried to condense them into some core principles and practical tips that you can apply:

• No Fast Fashion – This is a no-brainer, but we feel like we should explain it in more detail. Fast fashion is associated with labour exploitation, and many times, that of children. In addition, it relies on cheap materials whose manufacturing pollutes the Earth. Fast fashion also comes as fast as it goes, so consumers throw out tons of clothes that end up in landfills, unable to decompose for centuries (polyester can take up to 200 years to decompose).
• Choose natural materials – Unfortunately, clothes from natural materials such as cotton, linen, and silk have become incredibly expensive, despite some of them being relatively cheap to source. This wasn’t the case in previous centuries, but ever since plastic was invented, it’s become our reality. Still, you should invest in clothes from natural materials because: a) they are sustainable, b) they last longer, c) they are better for your skin.
• Don’t Overcrowd Your Wardrobe – Open your wardrobe and try to count how many clothes you haven’t worn in the past year; we assure you the number will unpleasantly surprise you. Don’t surround yourself with meaningless distractions and don’t let your bank account suffer.
• Donate – After looking through your clothes, you should bid goodbye to those you haven’t worn in a long while, because let’s be realistic, you’re not going to start wearing them all tomorrow. Don’t throw them away though, look up local charities to donate them to.
• Recycle – You can leave some of the clothes you mean to donate and recycle them instead. Many clothing brands now offer you discounts if you donate clothes for recycling. Not only do you get to buy something new, but you also help limiting waste.
• Avoid Sales – Sales might make it seem like you’re spending pennies on a new wardrobe, but it all quietly piles up. Sales are a scam used by clothing brands to get rid of their old collections which would be thrown in the trash otherwise. Have you ever bought something from a sale only to find out you hate it later? Yes, we all have but we should all stop.
• Take Your Time – Don’t mindlessly grab a shirt and buy it immediately; try it on and think whether you like yourself in it and whether it matches your existing clothes. Take all the time you need; the store will be there tomorrow.
• Price to Quality Ratio – Think whether a garment is really worth its price tag before you buy it. Spending a hundred on a polyester shirt from a designer brand is never worth it.
• Brand Names Do Not Matter – This is a continuation of the last point. Many designer brands nowadays use cheap fabrics and just as cheap labour to the point where they are almost no better than fast fashion brands. The brand wants you to think it’s the holy grail of fashion, but it’s just a name we give too much importance to.
• Thrift Shop – It’s better for your wallet and it’s definitely better for the planet. You can also find the most surprising and amazing items there.

Mindful living, as we have already established, is a state of being that entails being aware of yourself and your surroundings. There are many ways to achieve this and thus, better yourself and feel much happier and content.

One of the first steps to accomplishing this goal is by practising it with your mind and body before you make any changes to your lifestyle and habits. In this article, we will show you how to do this by proposing practical tips in the form of exercises for mindful living.

Breathing

Breathing is the first step towards achieving mindful living, and we cannot stress this enough. You might ask yourself now, well, we are all already breathing, otherwise we wouldn’t be reading this article. You are breathing to survive, meaning that you are not breathing for a specific purpose.

Breathing is the easiest thing you can do, it’s free after all and you’re doing it anyway. Breathing in a specific way can help calm you down if you feel overwhelmed or upset, so now let’s practice it together.

Take a deep breath through your nose, count to five, then breathe out through your mouth. Repeat this five times (or more if necessary). Try to relate to every breath, focusing on its movement from the air, to your nose, to your lungs, then through your mouth and to the air again.

Your head probably feels lighter and even your vision is clearer. Try to do this once or twice a day, along with every time you feel under-the-weather and see how this practice improves your well-being in the long run.

Grounding

No, we won’t ground you, we are not your parents! Grounding is a technique, among the most helpful ones for mindful living as it makes you hyper-aware of your surroundings and makes you truly live in the moment. Grounding is also recommended for people who suffer from panic attacks as it can potentially stop them before they set in.

Much like breathing, it’s free to do; it only requires your eyes and your attention. Look around your room right now. What do you see? Perhaps your furniture, windows, doors, little trinkets etc. Good. Now name them all in your mind, one by one.

This might seem silly, but it actually helps. Name every single object around you like “window, door, picture frame…” until you run out of objects. You may notice that your vision and focus have improved. If you are currently anxious, this might also relieve your anxiety and slow down a fast-pacing heart.

Do this exercise once a day and you will notice that you are much more aware of your surroundings.

Silent Meditation

Silent meditation is another good way to become more aware of the moment and of life in general. There is no right way to do it, but we will give you a few steps to follow if you have never done it before.

First, sit comfortably. For some people, that entails sitting on a chair, but you may sit elsewhere or do the lotus position on the floor, whatever feels most comfortable to you. Then, put your hands in front of you (or on your knees if in the lotus position) and close your eyes.

Do the breathing exercise we mentioned until you feel calm, concentrate and focus on your breathing. You can then breathe normally or continue to do the exercise. This is where the fun begins. You should now try to visualise. We recommend starting by choosing a relaxing spot, let’s say a beach on a tropical island.

Imagine the sand kissing your feet, the smooth and warm grains feel like velvet against your skin. Now look the waves crashing on the beach. Count each one and listen to their melody. They come and go in perfect even intervals. Smell the salt in the air and the blossoming trees around you. You’re there, you’re in the moment.

You can use this mental image or you can substitute it for another one that brings you more pleasure. Go to this mental space once a day if you can or at least a couple times a week.

Walk in Nature

This last practice combines all the other ones, perhaps representing the ultimate mindful living practice. Rather than imagine a beautiful place in your silent meditation, just go there. Get dressed and walk to a place in nature and do it alone.

On your way there, practice grounding, name the things you see on the street and you will notice that there is hidden beauty in places you thought you knew. Once you reach this magical place in nature, turn off your phone or put it on silent, let nothing disturb you.

Next, take off your shoes if you can. It’s said that walking barefoot really energises you and makes you feel one with nature. Truly look, and sense, and smell. Do it purposefully and nature will reveal itself to you in all its majesty.

If you have been there before, pick a trek you’ve never been on; don’t be afraid to explore. Look at all the beautiful trees and flowers, take on their aroma and touch their pretty leaves. Stay there until you can and go on other walks as much as you can and you’ll notice the positive changes.

One of the core principles of mindful living is being in peace with yourself, both mentally and physically. This is why healthy eating is such an important part of your path towards true mindful living.

Today we will discuss what mindful eating is, how to implement its principles practically and how all this could help one feel better about themselves and be healthier, so stay tuned.

What is Mindful Eating

There is no one way to describe mindful eating, but we will attempt to do that just now. Mindful eating refers to eating with all your senses engaged whereas you do not react to the food but you become aware of it.

This might sound odd as we think that we react to the taste of the food and that’s what brings enjoyment (or disgust) but mindful eating argues otherwise. This type of eating, while fully aware, is still focused on bringing you joy as eating should be an enjoyable experience and mindful living in general is not about frugality, but inner peace with oneself and pleasure.

If you try to utilise all your senses and emotions with each bite you are taking, we can assure you that you will find pleasure in food more often than you used to before. Mindful eating also teaches healthy food choices and mindfulness in the preparation of meals, thus bringing about a new sense of gratitude towards food.

How to Practice it

There are numerous teachings of mindful eating that you can implement in your daily routine which promise to make your eating experience more profound and more enjoyable. First, let’s discuss what you should not do.

Do Not’s

You shouldn’t judge your way of eating. There are many different eating behaviours and we should remember that they are the result of our different lived experiences. Some are slow eaters, others not. Some leave food on the plate when they finish, others don’t. Don’t judge yourself and don’t judge others based on how they consume food.

This is perhaps one of the most important steps for mindful eating because it concerns your relationship with food. You shouldn’t see food as a reward for a task, or as a pacifier when you’re upset, and you absolutely shouldn’t see it as a necessary evil. Once you stop judging yourself and your eating habits, you’ll see how they improve seamlessly.

Another thing you should not do is to be a mindless eater, but what is that? A mindless eater would put any food in their body just to satisfy their hunger. This means that this type of person is more likely to not eat healthily and not to enjoy the food.

This takes us to the next rule – do not starve. We understand that modern life is very busy and sometimes one might feel that they don’t have time to eat, but they do. Food should be treated like the important thing that it is, not some nuisance.

In addition, not eating for hours makes us more suspectable to eating bad food later because we don’t want to labour over the oven when we are starving.

Do’s

Now, we will give you a few steps that would help you achieve mindful eating. We hope they help you feel better about food and also about yourselves:

• Three Meals – You should have three meals a day, no matter how hard it seems at first if you are used to skipping meals. Your body and your mind require sustenance that you should provide.
• Set Meal Times – Your body is an incredibly complex mechanism that continuously strives for a routine to work efficiently, so treat it like one. Create a routine with three meals in even intervals and keep to it. You’ll notice how much better you’ll feel if you do.
• Cooking Schedule – It’s often hard to come up with healthy cooking ideas on the spot, especially if you’re hungry, so try to create a cooking schedule on Sunday to get you through the week. Don’t be afraid to swap recipes if you feel like having something else on the spot, but try to abide to the recipes in the schedule.
• Proper Size Meals – We don’t want you to count every calorie, but you should try to abide to the healthy daily calories for your age and sex. Divide these calories into three (almost) equal portions to guesstimate how much you should be having per meal.
• Eat Slowly and Chew – You shouldn’t judge yourself on your eating habits, but you should attempt to better yourself. By eating slowly and chewing, you’re allowing your body to better and faster process the food, as well as for your mouth and tongue to fully appreciate the food’s richness.
• Use Your Senses – Observe the food, look at the beautiful colours, the textures; take in the aroma and let your tastebuds explore every bite. Become fully immersed in the eating experience.
• No Distractions – To be fully immersed, means that you shouldn’t be doing anything else at the moment. It’s just you and your tasty food. You shouldn’t be watching shows or films.

Hello and welcome, dear readers! We want to present you this new blog about mindful living and how to practice it. We are firm believers of the philosophy of mindful living and we wanted to reach other people who might be interested in adopting this healthy lifestyle.

We will use our first blog post to tell you more about mindful living such as what it is, how and when it was created, and why is it becoming so popular all around the world. Enjoy reading and enjoy living!

What is Mindful Living

Mindful living is a complex philosophy that intertwines aspects from many schools of thought around the world, but we will try to explain it as simply as possible. Mindful living is a synonym for conscious living, being conscious of yourself, your surroundings, and your life choices.

The goal of mindful living is to create individuals who are aware of themselves and their world in order to live a more happy and sustainable life that brings as much joy as possible to themselves and those around them.

Mindful Living: History of the Philosophy

It could be said that mindful living has always existed since we are a reasonable species, but let’s not get caught up in unnecessary semantics. The mindful living movement has somewhat clear beginnings. Many of the teachings of mindful living come from the east and more specifically religious movements like Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as secular sects.

Buddhism and Hinduism have existed for millennia, but their teachings were only popularised in the west in the latter half of the 19th century. Continental European philosophy started becoming more influenced by these ancient teachings (e.g., Friedrich Nietzsche, Carl Jung etc) and this resulted in their popularisation among upper-class communities.

However, mindful living as an international movement for self-betterment and sustainability did not occur until the latter part of the 20th century. It was the summer of love and music bands seemed to consciously adopt yet again eastern teachings and express them in their music which led to the common man adopting these teachings and practices as well.

That’s precisely when mindful living practices emerged and they quickly turned into a whole movement that was appreciated by people of all socio-economic classes. In the next decade, these principles were coded into language and turned into applicable practices.

Perhaps the most significant single person for the movement is Jon Kabat-Zinn. He’s an American-born professor of medicine who studied meditation with Buddhist monks, which inspired him to bring mindful practices to the West, such as yoga. He stripped the religious connotations of many of these practices and instead tried to connect them to science and common knowledge.

Kabat-Zinn established the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Oasis Institute for Mindfulness-Based Professional Education and Training. He created courses that could show you what mindful living is and inspire you to try it.

Since the populace was already interested in eastern practices for betterment, Kabat-Zinn became famous almost overnight. His courses inspired many people to adopt the principles of mindful living and led to the existence of a whole global movement, of which we are part as well.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time and reading our first blog post. We hope we aroused your interest and that you now want to learn more about mindful living and how to practice it.