5 Places to Practice Mindfulness Around the Queen City
5 Places to Practice Mindfulness Around the Queen City: It seems like everyone is talking about mindfulness these days.
It seems like everyone is talking about mindfulness these days. No longer relegated to yoga studios and meditation retreats, mindfulness practice can be found in schools and workplaces and even apps on your phone. But what is mindfulness? Today we’re going to talk about that and share five of our favorite places to practice mindfulness around the Queen City.
What is mindfulness?
At its most basic, mindfulness is simply the practice of living in the present moment without judgement. Sounds easy right? Well anyone who has tried it will tell you that it is a lot harder than it sounds. First of all, we very rarely live in the present moment. Most of us spend a significant amount of our time preoccupied with either the past (did I really say that out loud last week?) or in the future worrying about what is going to happen. Even when we are living in the present moment, we are usually doing so in a judgemental way. For instance, “ugh, I shouldn’t be feeling this way!” Now that we’ve covered the basics of mindfulness, you might be wondering why it’s worth practicing in the first place. Let’s take a look.
Why practice mindfulness?
Now that you know what mindfulness is, why would you want to do it? Well, let’s use this analogy. Let’s imagine that you have a bucket for your feelings and there’s only so much room in the bucket. Now, let’s imagine that you are preoccupied with that embarrassing thing that happened last week. Your bucket is filled with regret and embarrassment. Now, let’s imagine that simultaneously you’re worried about a big presentation you have coming up at work. So, let’s add fear and anxiety to that bucket. The bucket is almost full to the top with all the emotions from the past and the future. So, when something happens in the present, say someone cuts you off trying to merge onto the interstate, there’s no room in the bucket for the frustration or anger to go, so it splashes out all over everything. Mindfulness helps you avoid filling your bucket with the emotions from the past and the future and leaves you room to process and manage the emotions of the present moment.
How can you practice mindfulness?
One of the easiest ways to practice mindfulness is to activate your senses. One easy way to activate your senses is to practice the 5-4-3-2-1. This exercise consists of identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel or touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. This exercise focuses your mind on the present moment and helps you practice being mindful. Mindfulness can be done literally anywhere or anytime, but here are five of our favorite places to practice mindfulness around the Queen City.
Where can you practice mindfulness?
Located in West Charlotte, the Whitewater Center offers adventure seekers plenty to do, mostly for a fee. However, for a nominal parking cost, visitors can use most of the trails and the walking paths for free. Try sitting by the water in one of the Adirondack chairs and try the 5-4-3-2-1.
With two convenient locations to visit, The Mint Museum offers plenty to activate your visual senses. Note that the museum offers free entry on Wednesdays from 5-9 and also offers discounts to those receiving SNAP or WIC benefits. Find your favorite art piece and try naming all the colors you can see.
Practice your mindful eating and drinking at one of the many local coffee shops across the Charlotte Area. Whether you like black drip coffee or the latest most exciting frozen creation, you can activate your senses in a real way. Try putting that phone away while you do it!
With countless options across the Queen City, you have plenty of locations to pick from. Whether you prefer to walk on the greenway or watch your kids play on the playground, being in nature is a great way to practice mindfulness.
You’re Home
Although getting out is fun, you can practice mindfulness right in your own home. Pick an activity, whether that’s eating, doing chores, listening to music or reading a book and focus all your attention on that one activity. Try not to think about the past or the future. Just be in the moment.
Mindfulness is simply the practice of living in the present moment without judgement. Although simple, it’s not easy. That’s why it’s important to practice. Any activity can be done mindfully so whether you practice with your next cup of local coffee or the next time you take your kid to the park, give it a try! Need more help? Give us a call and our therapists will be happy to talk to you about your specific needs.