If you’re starting or returning to mindfulness, knowing what the 5 basics of mindfulness practice are will be invaluable. These are fundamentals that will provide you with a practical foundation to approach mindfulness with greater ease.
By understanding and applying them, you’ll create a mindfulness practice that feels sustainable and meaningful in your everyday life.
Let’s explore, in depth, each of the 5 basics of mindfulness practice and how they can support your mindfulness journey for the long run.
1. Rooting Into Your Deepest Why for Practicing Mindfulness
Starting or returning to mindfulness can feel both exciting and daunting.
The initial spark of enthusiasm is natural, but sustaining it requires something deeper. This is especially true in a culture that pushes us to keep going rather than to slow down and turn inward, as mindfulness invites us to do.
This is why having a clear intention is so important.
An intention is the driving force behind our desire to begin practicing mindfulness, whether it’s for the first time or the hundredth. It’s also behind our desire to keep practicing day in and day out.
Essentially, intentions remind us why we’re doing what we’re doing and encourage us to begin again when we fall off track.
Intentions don’t have to be grand, but they do need to resonate deeply with you. With a genuine connection, it’s much easier to stay committed.
Finding your intention takes some effort, as the real reason is often buried beneath surface-level answers.
To begin, ask yourself:
- What brought me here? What led me to explore mindfulness in the first place?
- Then, dig deeper —Why is this important to me? You might need to ask this question several times to peel back the layers and arrive at your core intention.
For instance, you might initially say, “I want to feel calmer and more focused.”
But by asking, “Why is this important to me?” you might discover a deeper reason: “Because I want to show up more fully for my loved ones,” or “Because I want to reconnect with myself.”
Keep asking until you arrive at your truest intention.
Just like an anchor persistently keeps a boat from drifting away, our intention is what keeps us committed to practicing mindfulness when we’re feeling the pull to stop. And like an anchored boat that still moves with the tide, our intentions can evolve over time.
Carve out a quiet moment to reflect on what truly matters to you. (If you do just one of the 5 basics of mindfulness practice, this would be the one to do!)
Once you’ve uncovered your intention, consider writing it down, sharing it with someone, or keeping it somewhere you’ll see it often. Revisit it regularly and let it guide you as you cultivate your practice.
2. Understanding Both Pieces of the Mindfulness Pie
There’s a common misconception out there that meditation and mindfulness are the same thing. In reality, they’re actually two distinct practices with overlapping elements.
Simply put, there are many types of meditation, one of which is mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is a formal practice, a dedicated time where you focus on being present with curiosity and without judgment. It’s a valuable way to bring mindfulness into your life, but it’s only one piece of the whole pie.
Beyond meditation, mindfulness involves the practice of being present in all moments of your day. Whether you’re:
- making breakfast,
- meeting with your boss,
- buying your lunch, or
- kissing your loved ones goodnight,
mindfulness is about bringing your attention fully to what’s happening—both around you and within you – right now.
We can think of meditation as the training session for a competition, with the competition being our opportunity to practice mindfulness in real life, moment to moment.
This quote helps me to understand the difference:
“There are practices that you add to your daily life, like meditation, or yoga, or… And then there are practices that are embedded in your life, woven into the tapestry of your everyday activities.” (Your Body is Your Brain by Amanda Blake)
Now that we’ve busted this myth, I hope this takes some of the pressure off starting to practice mindfulness. If you’ve been struggling with mindfulness because meditating feels hard to fit in—or even intimidating —the good news is that you actually have countless opportunities to practice mindfulness in the midst of your daily activities!
3. The Role of Anchors in Mindfulness
I can’t write about what the 5 basics of mindfulness of mindfulness practice are without talking about anchors.
Anchors are fundamental to mindfulness – they help us stay connected to the present moment. They play a role both in meditations and in moment-to-moment mindfulness practice.
The way anchors take shape during a mindfulness meditation is that they become where we try to maintain our focus and attention on in order to stay in the present moment. Whenever we get pulled away from our anchor, we then have somewhere to bring our attention back to – over and over again.
With this kind of practice during mindfulness meditations, we prepare ourselves for staying present in real-world scenarios.
The more familiar we become with the anchors that work for us, the easier it becomes to access them in daily life:
- Say, for example, the breath works well as an anchor for you. Then when you’re in a work meeting and you notice your mind has wandered, you can return your attention to your breath. By noticing it and feeling it within your body, you can ground yourself in the present. Sounds, our sense of touch- such as feeling our feet against the ground, and sensations within our body also work well as anchors.
Anchors are especially useful in moments of stress or anxiety, grounding us in the here and now. And they’re, for the most part, always available to us!
You’ll figure out what works best for you. It very well may be that multiple anchors work for you – leaving you with more tools to stay present.
4. Letting Go of Perfect with Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a seed that exists within each of us, just waiting to grow. In order to flourish, though, it needs to be cultivated, or practiced.
The great thing is that by uncovering your intention for practicing mindfulness, that seed has already begun to sprout.
Intention has given it life, and practice is what will keep it growing.
This could mean setting aside time for formal practices, like a body scan, or simply being fully present during everyday moments, like during a conversation with a co-worker.
The key to staying on track with mindfulness is to let go of the idea of perfection.
Rather than striving for “practice makes perfect,” try embracing the mindset that practice itself is perfect. Letting go of specific outcomes – like perfection, or feeling a certain way – can free you to focus on the act of practicing itself.
There will undoubtedly be moments when your mind wanders, or when life gets in the way, and you don’t practice for weeks on end. That’s normal. The key is to return to the practice when you can. This is where your intention comes back into play, anchoring you back to why mindfulness matters to you.
One of the best ways to make mindfulness a consistent part of your life is by weaving it into daily activities that you already do, such as –
- getting in and out of the car
- feeding your baby,
- drinking your coffee…
The more we integrate mindfulness into these routine moments, the more it becomes a natural part of our daily life.
Also, the more we practice in calm, ordinary moments, the more equipped we are to stay composed, have perspective, and show compassion when we need it most.
5. Making Mindfulness Your Own
Last but not least in the five basics of mindfulness practice is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach with mindfulness.
We’re all unique. We have different schedules, different brains, different ways of moving through the world.
Just like prescribing the exact same workout routine—timing, location, duration, components—wouldn’t work for everyone, a rigid “mindfulness prescription” doesn’t make sense either.
This flexibility can feel both freeing and daunting.
It means that at first, you might go through a bit of trial and error to figure out what fits best for you. But this effort is worth it because a mindfulness practice tailored to your life will have staying power—something you can sustain over the long haul.
Start by tuning in to what generally works for you. For formal practices, consider:
- Is there a time of day when you feel more open to mindfulness?
- Where do you feel most comfortable practicing?
- Does a consistent schedule help you stay on track, or does flexibility suit your lifestyle better?
When we think about mindfulness, some of us picture someone sitting cross-legged in a serene natural landscape, maybe with candles or soft music in the background (thanks Google). This image, while lovely, is also misleading. If this is what you’ve been holding onto, it’s time to let it go. Mindfulness doesn’t require a perfect setting or props.
Mindfulness can truly be practiced anytime and anywhere.
For formal practices, you can sit, stand, lie down, or even walk—whatever feels most supportive in the moment. Want candles? Great, go for it. Don’t want candles? That’s great too. (I personally prefer incense.) The beauty of mindfulness is that it adapts to your life, not the other way around.
Embrace what feels most natural and effective for you. When you make mindfulness your own, it stops being another item on your to-do list and starts becoming a part of how you live.
Setting Off On Your Own Mindful Path
So, what are the 5 basics of mindfulness practice? Without scrolling up, can you name them for yourself?
By really understanding these foundational principles, you’re in a great position to start or deepen your mindfulness journey.
I hope it’s clear that these are not rigid rules, but things to understand and consider before setting off on your own path – on which I wish you well!
Not sure how to take the next step? Need a little accountability? Learn more about mindfulness coaching and how it can support you to move forward.