June Rejuvenation #4: The Zen Zone
Moving into the mellow with mindfulness
Hi friends! Welcome back to June Rejuvenation.
As we wrap up the month, our theme this week is The Zen Zone. It’s an opportunity to slow down, pause, and savour mindful moments.
Weeks 1-3 were all about recovering our zest through rest, self-care, and creative inspiration. Now that we’re re-energised, it’s time to turn to the mellow side of life!
What’s your favourite way to relax for 5, 10, or 30 minutes? Or a whole afternoon?
Although I practice mindfulness routinely, I’ve made it a particular focus of my reset over the past week, to help increase my zen.
I practiced in four different ways: meandering, meditation, mindful movement, and mindfulness in daily life. Which practices would you like to try?
Hi, I’m Holly, a certified coach and Breathworks mindfulness facilitator. I’m here to help you lead a life full of zest, zen, and purpose. Come join the supportive Zestful Zen community. ✨
1. Meandering
I’ve had the luxury of some annual leave since moving back from Belgium. But even during busy work weeks, I try and find time for meandering.
Often this means wandering through a local park, pausing to enjoy the birdsong, wildflowers and my love of trees.
No agenda in mind, simply enjoying the moment and the freedom of being outdoors, exploring without a deadline or destination.
But meandering doesn’t have to be in nature. If I’ve 10 minutes to kill until my train, I can enjoy browsing through beautiful objects in a shop with no intention of buying.
Where do you enjoy meandering? When did you last wander just for fun?
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2. Meditation
Meditation was my “gateway drug” into mindfulness. Somehow, I found it easier to set aside time for regular formal practice, at the beginning.
It was only once I built my mindfulness muscles through meditation that I began to embrace the more informal mindfulness in daily life (#4 below).
Note: For many people the reverse is true - meditation can be more challenging to start with. There’s no right or wrong way to begin mindfulness! Approach your practice with curiosity and leave the judgement at the door.
Some of my favourite meditations are the Body Scan, the Breathing Anchor, the Three Step Breathing Space, and Loving-Kindness meditation.
Each of these meditations can be as long or as short as you like:
For a short Body Scan, focus on just one body part - taking your attention to your hands, feet or shoulders.
For a short Breathing Anchor, simply focus on the sensations of breathing for a few minutes - the movements of your body as you inhale and exhale, the air passing through your lips or nostrils.
For the Three Step Breathing Space, first notice what’s happening right now, without judgement (body sensations, thoughts and feelings). Then turn your attention to your breathing. Lastly, expand your awareness outwards to your whole body and your surroundings, as you draw the meditation to a close.
For a short Loving-Kindness meditation, after settling and focusing on your breathing, choose 1 to 3 kindly phrases to repeat silently, e.g. “May I be happy, May I be healthy, May I live with ease”. You may want to place a hand on your heart space.
As with any meditation, it’s natural for your mind to wander; thoughts will appear. Simply acknowledge any thoughts and gently guide your attention back to your breath.
More guided meditations coming soon, once I’ve unpacked my microphone! For now, here’s a short Three Step Breathing space (sorry about the audio quality).
3. Mindful Movement
Mindful movement is a key pillar of the Breathworks approach.
Mindful movement is NOT exercise - it’s about focusing your attention on your body (in stillness and in motion).
Mindful movement can be particularly helpful for those experiencing chronic pain and illness, to learn how to safely move their bodies without fear of injury.
Practicing regularly has strengthened my awareness of my body sensations.
I increasingly notice when things aren’t right and I need to take action.
This might be as simple as getting up from my desk and stretching, going for a short walk, or going through a mindful movement sequence.
One thing I’ve realised as I’ve deepened my practice is that mindful movement can be embedded into daily life, a few minutes at a time.
While a 30 minute Qi Gong sequence is great, you can also just do 1 or 2 movements interspersed throughout your day as little mindful moments.
If you have a desk job and find yourself hunched over a keyboard for hours, taking a short movement break can make a massive difference to your comfort.
Choose a couple of movements from one of the sequences in this post.
How can you embed mindful movements into your routine?
I’m actually spending this weekend in Manchester learning how to teach Breathworks sequences (for the Mindfulness for Stress and Mindfulness for Health courses).
I’m excited to build my skills in supporting others to experience mindful movement. Watch this space for future live or recorded sessions!
For more info, and mindful movement sequences, check out this post:
4. Mindfulness in daily life
While having a regular meditation practice supports my zen, I think it’s embedding mindfulness into my daily life that has made the biggest difference.
Adding short, simple practices to my routine helps me to slow down, pause and just be.
These mellow moments of awareness refocus my attention on the present and make me more appreciative of the little things in life.
Want to have a go? Here are 10 simple practices to try:
Look up at the sky for a few minutes. What do you notice?
While walking, or even just sitting at your desk, choose a colour to notice. Really absorb the details of the objects you spot.
Lie down, or be comfortably seated and close your eyes. Listen to the sounds around you, tuning in without judgement. No need to identify the sounds, just allow them to wash over you. Do this for 2 to 5 minutes.
Tune into your senses. Notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch/feel, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste.
Whether you’re out and about or at home, slowly gaze around and notice pleasant things nearby. Perhaps a pretty flower or a nice fragrance. Take a moment to really savour the pleasant experience - at least 15 seconds.
Slow down and turn tea or coffee-making into a sensory experience. Watch the crystal-clear water fill the kettle. Observe the sound of it boiling. Notice the steam rising as you pour into the cup, and the water change colour. Inhale the smell of your drink and savour it. Feel the warmth of the cup in your hands. And finally enjoy the flavour as you take your first sip.
Practice soothing, compassionate touch. Give yourself a hug, place a hand on your heart space, or try some gentle self-massage.
Surrender to gravity. Whether you’re seated, standing, or lying down: allow yourself to relax and sink into the surface beneath you, noticing the contact between your body and the chair, the floor, or the bed.
Notice your breathing. Observe the sensations of your breath. What movements do you feel in the front, sides and back of your body? Notice the inhale and exhale. Where are the sensations strongest? Perhaps place a hand there.
Appreciate nature. Get outside if you can: into your garden, a local park, the countryside. If these aren’t accessible, appreciate nature indoors - notice the beauty of a houseplant or a bunch of flowers, or pop on a nature documentary.
Which practices appeal to you the most?
For more simple practices (including guided meditation tracks), check out this post:
Rejuvenation results
Well, for me, it’s almost the end of my pre-summer reset. I’m back to work on Monday and I’m feeling fully restored.
It’s been great to focus on different areas of my life that needed rejuvenation and to recharge my body, mind and soul.
Of course, I can’t take leave every time I need a rest. So now my reset is over, I’ll be prioritising self-care and embedding it into my daily life: making sure I include plenty of “sustainers” to outweigh the “drainers” that can build up over time.
I hope that after you enjoy The Zen Zone practices this week, you’ll also join me in embedding self-care into your daily life, to help avoid falling into the Exhaustion Funnel.
Join me on the journey
If you’d like to, join me on this rejuvenation journey. Start with week 1, jump in here to The Zen Zone if you prefer, or choose whichever area most needs a reset.
Week 4: The Zen Zone
Self-reflection and journal prompts ✍️
What does rejuvenation mean to you?
When are you at your most mindful?
Which simple mindfulness practice(s) will you try today? This week?
What support do you need from yourself, or others, to build your zen?
Where do you need a permission slip to help your rejuvenation?
Share your perspective ✨
I’d love to hear your reflections on self-care, mindfulness and meandering. What supports your sense of zen? When do you feel most mellow and mindful?
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Thank you Holly! I'm really trying to get to grips with the body scan. I used to do it regularly and enjoyed it pre MS, but I find it so challenging homing in on specific areas because it amplifies the (unpleasant) sensations I live with. But breathing into that is key I guess. I'm here to learn from you! x