SUSTAINING MINDFULNESS PRACTICE OVER TIME IN THE CONTEXT OF A BUSY LIFE

I sometimes get asked the question : in an urban environment such as a large city like Melbourne, and an ‘increasingly hyperactive culture’ what I think is the most sustainable way to practice mindfulness and how can we create a routine that sticks?

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I believe practicing informal mindfulness or bringing a mindful awareness to everyday activities like walking to the office from the car or chopping the vegetables for dinner and doing so with an attitude of openness, curiosity and a non-judgemental and accepting attitude is of great value . This can be even more beneficial than longer formal sitting meditation if in the sitting we are just reinforcing bad habits eg like sitting on the meditation cushion and ruminating or daydreaming. Paying attention to each moment with a curious and friendly attitude and learning to show up to our lives rather than being on autopilot has much to commend it.