A Deep Dive into Mindfulness Meditation Practices for Inner Peace and Clarity

9 to 5 work schedules can leave you wondering, “Am I doing life the right way?”

Water-tight daily schedules with absolutely no space for focusing on the you—you—that’s inside could be a little nerve-wracking about how fast things are moving around.

Experts often recommend taking a break, even if it’s for 30 minutes a day or less.

Mindfulness meditation helps you stay in the present and gain awareness of what’s right in front of you—it can be an exam, interview, or event for which you need to prepare. Or, it can be just you unwinding after work and taking all the noisy thoughts out of your mind!

Today, we've got 5 easy mindfulness meditation practices to get you started on your quest for inner peace and clarity.

The Raisin Exercise falls under Fleming and Kocovski’s Treatment Plan and is generally practiced in a group setting in the presence of a facilitator.

But you can also do it alone. All you need is a few raisins and a quiet room to yourself. Plus, you’re free to take any kind of food, but it should have an uncommon texture, smell, or taste. Raisins are found in almost all households and are easily available in the market too. That’s why we usually go by Team Raisins!

If you’re looking for how to do mindfulness meditation for beginners, then this exercise is just for you. Let’s begin.

1. As you hold a raisin in your hand, pay attention to:
   • How does it look?
   • How does it smell?
   • How does it taste?
   • How does it feel?
   • What sensations does the unique texture of the raisin draw on your skin?
   • Focus on how your skin reacts to the touch.
   • Is your skin comfortable with the touch, or does it retract?

You may be familiar with raisins or have eaten them earlier. But have you actually taken the time to notice them?

2. Giving full attention to the single raisin in your hand, you tend to collect your mind and bring it to the present. This way, you don’t spend your time and energy thinking about the worrisome matters of life—for as long as you’re doing this exercise and even after that (with some practice).

3. Also note that your mind may run off into some other thoughts. Be kind to yourself and simply guide it back on track.

The body scan is one of the simplest mindfulness meditation exercises, and you won’t even require a prop for it. Just follow the steps given below.

1. Lie on your back; rest your palms on the floor, facing up. Keep a slight distance between your feet. You can also sit comfortably in a chair and have your feet firmly resting on the floor.

2. You need to be very still for the time you’re engaging in this exercise. If it becomes necessary to change your position, do it, but take full notice of it.

3. Let’s start with your breath. CONCENTRATE. Observe the rhythm of your breath, the rising and falling of your chest, and how you feel as you breathe in air and expel it out. Do you experience pain in any part of the body? Remember, you must not manipulate your breathing pattern, but just take polite notice of how it’s working.

4. Next, take your mind to your body. How does your clothing affect your skin? Is it coarse? Is it soft? The floor that you’re resting on—look for any undulations in its surface. How hot/cold does your body feel? Is the environment around you airy or stuffy? Examine them all.

5. Now, focus on different parts of your body—ONE PART AT A TIME. See if any part feels oddly light or heavy. Is it sore or just about normal? Can you feel any sensations in it, or is it numb?

6. Commonly, a body scan begins at the feet, moves upward, and ends at your head. Let’s go.

7. Rest your attention on your toes—the two of them. Slowly go over to the ankles and heels. Then lower legs, and then knees.

8. Rise up to the thighs. Next, move to your torso; start with the pelvic region, including your buttocks, pelvic bone, and genitals.

9. Now, go up to your abdomen and observe its movement. Then lower your back and then your chest. You’re almost done touring your body mindfully. It’s now time to gain awareness of your upper back, including the shoulder blades.

10. Focus on your hands (the fingers, palms, and wrists). Slide to your upper arms. Finally, you’re at your neck. Be very attentive here. It is that crucial part of your body that connects the torso with the head.

11. Then arrive at your face (try to focus on each part of it—mouth, nose, chin, cheeks, eyes, ears, forehead, etc.).

12. At last, go to your nostrils. Trace your focus back again on your breaths. As you complete your body scan, open your eyes naturally and move to a more convenient sitting position.

By this time, you will have a firm understanding of your body. Your mind would be calm, and you'd be at peace.

Not all are adept at having a healthy imagination. Therefore, the lack of visual fodder/stimuli can make you quite uneasy—as if you’re not living up to your full potential.

Mindful seeing is a mindfulness-healing meditation technique that helps you stabilize your mind and boost creativity. What do you need for it? A window, medium-size (and preferably open), that offers some kind of pleasant view.

Follow the below steps to heal your mind and let loose your imagination.

1. Open a window. Take a seat near it and sit comfortably in a chair. Look outside. Put your attention on all that you can see with your eyes. Let nothing be an exception.

2. Don’t term or label any object that you see outside. “Oh, look, there’s a bluebird.” “The flowers are pretty.” Instead, try to focus on their shapes and colors. What patterns or textures do they have?

3. Become aware of motions, if you find any, in the little world you peek into outside the window. The movement of the grass stalks, and maybe a squirrel leaping on the ground from a tree’s branch. Try to gain as many visual stimuli as you can.

4. Act like a kind observer, not a fussy critic. Yes, you need to be fully aware of what you see, think, and feel—but don’t obsess over the details or any object in particular.

PEACE is an acronym, each letter of which stands for the following:

Pause, Exhale, Acknowledge, Choose and Engage.

Amy Saltzman, a holistic physician and mindfulness coach, designed this concept in 2011 to practice mindfulness meditation for anxiety, especially to help teens and young children. Let’s decode PEACE a little further.

1. PAUSE: Don’t respond hastily or impulsively. Take a pause before you answer.

2. Exhale: When faced with a difficult situation, exhale slowly and mindfully, keeping your attention fixed on the breathing movement. It can be about confronting people, sitting down to prepare for an important exam or interview, starting your homework or gym routine, and others.

3. Acknowledge (accept/allow): When you get overwhelmed with emotions, don’t push them away. Let them flow inside you. Experience them without any hesitation or prior judgment.

4. Choose: After you spend some time with these emotions and become fully aware of your thoughts, you can eventually respond.

5. Engage: As you select your response, engage with the difficult situation or person gently. Be kind to yourself, and always remember that you learn something new every other day of your life.

The Stare at the Center is one of those mindfulness meditation practices that lends you quick and temporary relief. You can do it anywhere and anytime.

Play this video to start with the exercise. All you’ve got to do is put your entire focus at the center of the graphics motion that runs continuously.

Just keep looking at the center and let thoughts wander freely in your mind. Notice them, but don’t engage with them—try to stay in the PRESENT.

This exercise is quite similar to when someone quietly meditates while staring at a candle’s flame. Even looking at a campfire can sometimes produce the same effect.

Mindfulness and healing meditation are beneficial to adults and, equally or more so, to young children and teens.

These can be internal (or inside/related to the body) or external (something from the outside world, not directly related to the body).

In case you've got a serious medical condition, we recommend consulting a board-certified physician, therapist, or psychiatrist to get proper treatment and guidance to practice meditation.