Everyday Mindfulness

Part 1: Mindful Brushing

There are things we do in everyday life that if done mindfully, can have a big impact on our goals. And throughout the material we have shared with you, there is been one common thread.

And we cannot stress this enough. So here it is yet again.

Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness. Awareness.

It really is everything.

Don’t walk through life blindly.

Because awareness can actually help us reach our goals. Mindful walking can help you meet your step count, Mindful eating can actually help with Portion Awareness

But awareness is the key to every action and activity. More than that, there are activities which are natural bedfellows for mindfulness meditation in their own simple, repetitive actions.

We like this one. It's actually so simple and amazing when I first head about it I wondered why I never had never heard of it before! It’s now an every morning joy.

MINDFUL BRUSHING! Genius.

We should all be brushing our teeth twice a day. In the morning and before going to bed at night.

Dr. Fern White, an Australian dentist who also practices mindfulness, suggests that treating your oral health as a mindfulness tool can double as “brushing your brain,” acting as a meditative exercise to calm the mind to prepare it for the day ahead, or relax it for sleep. Source

It actually is a perfect time to clear the head of worries and stresses of the morning rush, and of all the thoughts of the day before going to bed at night.

It’s also an easy mindfulness exercise to get the children involved.

The technique is simple BUT please take extra care to make sure you have something to hold on to (the sink)

At a basic level:

• Make sure you are standing at your sink (in case you need to hold onto it)
• Put toothpaste on your toothbrush
• Begin to brush your teeth (remembering to give each quarter of your mouth 30 seconds)
• Make sure to breathe through your nose, gently and naturally.
• Notice the taste of the toothpaste. Feel the sensations of the mintiness. Its coolness.
• Feel the sensation of the toothbrush moving back and forth over your teeth.
• Keep remembering to breathe naturally through your nose
• Listen to the sound of the brushing. Pay attention to it
• Slowly, perhaps halfway through, gently raise one foot off the floor a little and stand on one leg as you brush.
• Keeping your balance continue to brush your teeth. Make sure you have the sink to hold on to if needs be. Or just simply put your raised foot back on the floor.
• You want to bring your thoughts to the present, to your sense of keeping your balance, to the taste of the toothpaste, the rhythm of the brushing, the sound of the brushing, and remember to move from one-quarter of your mouth to the next.
• This whole process of being aware of the brushing, the taste, the sound, the rhythm and the balance means the brain is gently forced to focus its full attention on the actions you are taking, freeing it from any of the rushed morning thoughts you may normally have.
• When you have finished the brushing, rinse deliberately, feeling the sensation of the water over your clean teeth
• Now take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale naturally.
• Be kind. Thank yourself for the chance to begin the morning with a sense of calm. This thank you is your generosity to yourself at the start of the day

Make sure to alternate between one leg and the next every morning.

This is a great, simple, healthy habit that you can develop as part of a set of habits

Find your own chain of them. But remember the purpose. To set you up for the day ahead or for your arrival in bed with fewer thoughts clattering about in your head.

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