Taking time to pause and be mindful throughout the day can make a big impact on your mood and mind. Lunch is a great time to intentionally pause. Here are a few simple ways to make your lunch break more mindful.

• Eat outside

  • Step out of the fluorescents and into the sunlight. Find a calm, quiet place to sit and relax. If your office doesn’t have outdoor space, try to find a nice window or quiet area away from your computer screen to breathe. If there is space, take a short walk after to move your body and unwind your mind. (Packing your lunch will help you save money and have more time to sit and unwind).

• Enjoy silence

  • Try eating in silence. Sit in a quiet space by yourself and let your mind refresh.

• Eat more mindfully

  • Pay attention to how you eat. Notice how each bite tastes, observing the details. Observe how the body chews. Focus your attention on eating the food before you.

• Sit and rest your eyes

  • Step away from screens, close your eyes and breathe. Even one minute of this can make a big difference. 

• Read 

  • Allow your mind to escape to a far off place, guided by your book. This is a great way to give your mind a pause and restore.

I accomplished something great today. I stopped.

I did not finish my to-do list. I did not push myself too far. Instead, I listened to my body and my mind. I got overwhelmed, and I took a step back.

When I stopped, I was able to see things more clearly. The to-do list didn’t matter so much. I stopped doing and I started being. 

When I stopped, I realized that pushing myself to do a million things to “reach my potential” would never get me that result. If I don’t offer myself the time and space to be present with all that I already am, I will never reach the fullness that already lies within.

So take time today and stop. Leave your phone and your to-do list behind. Go on a walk. Feel the air on your skin. Let the sun kiss your face. Feel your breath. And meet yourself with grace.

Today, and every day, my hope is that you throw the to-do list away. Stop. So that you can see that you already have and already are all hoped and dreamed. 

Sitting at the desk all day is tough on the body and the mind. After a few hours, it is common to feel stiffness in the body and mental fatigue. Take a moment to pause and recharge to feel more energized and focused throughout the day.

1. Breathe

Feel your seat on the chair. Feel your spine straighten and lengthen. Bring your shoulders to your ears, and drop them down the back. Take 3 deep breaths. 

Breathe in for 2 seconds and exhale for four seconds. The exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system and tells our body and mind to calm down. Bringing awareness to the breath brings us into the present moment. 

2. Alternate Nostril Breathing

This breath helps balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain and is great when you need to pause and redirect what tasks you are working on.

Benefits of Nadi Shodna (alternate nostril breathing):

• Lowers heart rate, stress, and anxiety

• Balances right and left hemispheres of the brain

• Improves lung function and endurance

• Stimulates digestion and metabolism

• Purifies and balances the body

• Rejuvenates the mind

3. Gentle Movement 

Seated Cat/Cow

Take a few cat and cows to release tension in the back and shoulders. 

Down dog at the Desk

Take a moment to stand and do downward facing dog. This brings blood flow to the brain to increase energy and concentration levels.

4. Finger Tapping

1. Touch the thumb to each finger on your hand

2. Each time your thumb touches a finger, repeat a grounding phrase to yourself

   Ex. I am safe, I am breathing, I am here, etc.

This brings us out of the mind and into the body. This brings us into the present moment. 

5. Take 5

Give small, simple tasks for the mind to focus on. Draw attention into the present.

1. Find 5 things you can see

2. Find 4 things you can touch

3. Find 3 things you can hear

4. Find 2 things you can smell

5. Find 1 thing you can taste