Our Guide to Developing a Mindfulness Practice

 

Britton Taylor Chaves

When you work with our Care team at HHC, we incorporate mindfulness into your holistic care. To us, meditation, journaling, movement and spirituality is essential to your overall wellbeing. Here, we are sharing our resources that we recommend to all HHC care clients.

When you begin working with one of our health coaches or as a part of one of our programs, we begin by considering your physical, mental and emotional well being, among other things, to get a clear picture of your case.

Once we have had a chance to assess your current health status and lifestyle, we work with you to make recommendations on not only what labs to run and supplements to try… but also what type of movement and mindfulness might work best for you. Here’s a look at the basis of our mindfulness recommendations.

Photo by Melanie Ruth

Journaling

The first step in understanding your symptoms is committing to a daily practice of journaling and self-reflection. 

As a client, your first assignment is to establish a daily gratitude practice. It can be as simple as writing down 3 things you are grateful for or as detailed as a free-hand journaling session of your deepest thoughts. 

This is for your eyes only. The goal is to bring you back to self. To check in with your body and how you are feeling. To create a healthy routine, cultivate mindfulness and offer perspective. 

Remember, you know your body the best. You must truly believe that.

Meditation

Want to know one of the best ways you can lower your cortisol (and in turn, your stress)? Meditate. While there are numerous apps (see more below) that we’ve tried, if you are a beginner, our recommendation is simple. Find a quiet spot. Shut your eyes. Just breathe. Taking this mental and physical “time out” whenever you need it is the true KEY to achieving a more balanced lifestyle and eventually, healing your body.

Our favorite meditation apps:

Photo by Victoria Gloria

Movement

Movement is medicine. Period. We believe that a lot can be cured by getting your body moving. And that doesn’t mean going “all out” at the gym or trying to run 5 miles. That means listening to your body and starting small. For our clients, we recommend low-impact workouts to begin with like yoga, pilates, walking, jogging etc. Of course, if your body is used to more high-intensity workouts, by all means, go for it. But make sure you let your body rest as well. Rest is also key to healing.

Our favorite low impact workouts include:

Photo by Julia Dags

Breathwork

Learning how to control your breath can not only help to calm your senses and aid in many stressful situations but it also allows you to become more intune with your internal organs, especially your diaphragm, stomach and pelvic floor. To get started, we recommend trying a Box Breathing technique.

Here’s how to do it:

  • Put one hand on your belly, and one hand on your heart.

  • Inhale for a count of 4. 

  • Hold at the top for a count of 4.

  • Exhale for a count of 4.

  • Hold at the bottom for a count of 4. 

  • Repeat.

Photo by Victoria Gloria

Spirituality and Self-Discovery

If you want to take your mindfulness practice a step further, there are many resources we love and recommend for looking into spirituality and self-discovery. Check out some of our favorite resources.

What types of mindfulness speak to you the most? What do you already do? What do you hope to do more of? Share with us in the comments!

Britton Taylor Chaves is a Social Media Content Manager specializing in wellness and supporting women entrepreneurs. Follow her @brittontaylorchaves on Instagram.

 
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