Your mind may dwell in the past and future, going back and forth between worry and regret. The soul lives in eternity without a clear beginning or end.
But your body? That’s always right here in the present moment. Mindfulness is how we bring body, mind, and soul together, and there are real benefits to doing so.
How does mindfulness work?
Mindfulness works by allowing you to fully experience yourself and the world around you without judgment. We sit noticing our bodies, our breath, and what is in front of us. We move and speak with intention, acknowledging every sound and sensation, never assigning good or bad qualities to any of it.
If we want to use mindfulness for a specific aim, such as relaxation or creativity, we can support the practice with tools and techniques. Playing a singing bowl, doing breathing exercises, or gazing at the flame of a candle are a few examples.
7 Mindfulness Benefits for Body, Mind, and Soul
Start practicing mindfulness today and watch it all come together. Here are the real-world benefits of staying rooted in the present.
1. Improves sleep quality
Sleep quality influences everything from skin texture to hormonal balance. Given that daily mindfulness can improve sleep, the sky's the limit when it comes to how this can benefit you. You might have more energy, find weight loss easier, or see relationships improve.
2. Enhances emotional intelligence
Speaking of relationships, mindfulness makes you a better listener, and what relationship couldn’t benefit from that? Overall, enhanced awareness of the present is an enhanced awareness of the self, and this is fundamental to emotional intelligence.
Over time, you’ll find you can communicate, empathize, and regulate emotions with ease.
3. Encourages resilience
Sitting with difficult feelings and sensations is hard work. Mindfulness may see you holding steady during the breathlessness of a panic attack or consistently correcting course during feelings of hopelessness. But it goes to show that you can tolerate almost anything.
4. Stabilizes moods
When we are being mindful we do not judge or assign feelings to thoughts. We don’t follow thoughts down rabbit holes of negativity. This makes us less likely to ruminate, which drags down our moods. Mindfulness can also ground us if we have the propensity to get swept up in other people’s moods.
5. Protects from burnout
Mindfulness shows us there is a balanced approach to everything. Couple this with the enhanced self-awareness it provides and you may find you’re more realistic about what you should take on. It’s not less work; it’s better-quality work that doesn’t take over your life.
6. Amplifies workout results
Being mindful while you exercise can make you stronger, leaner, or anything else you’re trying to achieve in the gym. Focusing intently on a muscle contraction does in fact increase muscle activity - this is called the mind-muscle connection.
7. Increases wealth
What does wealth look like to you? Whether it’s more money from well-executed work or the stability of a more peaceful home life, mindfulness makes it easier to get rich. Along the way, ask yourself if you truly have more or if you’re simply more grateful for what you have.
What happens to the body during mindfulness?
Mindfulness is said to benefit everything from memory to blood pressure. It can help us activate the parasympathetic nervous system or manage chronic pain.
If you’re ready to dedicate yourself more wholly to mindfulness, Silent Mind has tools that can help. Take our singing bowl selector quiz today and find the perfect sound to bring you into the here and now.