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Learn to meditate - For many, meditation is key to developing greater mindfulness. Practicing this ancient art serves many advantages. It can lessen stress, anger, and anxiety, increase happiness, boost creativity, and dilute pain, among other benefits.

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Begin your mindfulness jouney - Meditation is one of the simplest ways to totally relax, and can help create structure to your mindfulness journey.

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Morning routine -

A mindful morning routine sets the tone for a calmer day ahead. Whether it's a cup of tea at sunrise or reading a few lines from an inspiring book, how you start the day largely dictates how you'll end it.

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Gazing at an object - This meditation exercise boosts your power of concentration by enhancing focus, awareness, and attention. The object, typically a lighted candle, draws the eye to the flickering flame thus removing your mind of all distractions.

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Engage your senses - It's important to learn how to focus your mind, and the easiest way is to meditate on an object, a flower perhaps. Note its color and texture, its fragrance. If you prefer, use a piece of fruit, a pear for example. This way you can engage your sense of taste too.

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Make a goal -

Work on applying mindfulness to everyday life. For example, having a goal can keep you tightly focused on the end result. 

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Set your priorities - If you have to achieve a number of objectives tomorrow or next week, plan ahead by making a list and working to a realistic schedule.

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Back to nature - Get outdoors and find a natural space that inspires you, ideally next to water. Many ancient philosophies and healing systems have their roots in the natural world.

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Get moving - A short cut to calm is to take a mindful walk or run. Working out can be a spiritual experience. Opt for an activity that you don't have to concentrate too much on, such as swimming and hiking.

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Press pause - Afterwards, wind down and free up your energy. As the saying goes, "The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness."

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Smile inside -

Even if you’re feeling sullen and irritable, smiling on the inside will help you feel better

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Stay calm when you lose your cool -

Breathing is the key to keeping cool. Inhale slowly then release. Focus on your breath and the rhythm it creates. After a while you should feel soothed.

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Be a mindful eater -

Pay attention to the experience of eating. Connecting to all your senses while you eat can help enhance the pleasure of eating, and help you loose weight.

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How hungry are you? -

Listen to your body. Are you really hungry, or mindlessly snacking?

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Eat more slowly - It's said that Buddhist monks chew each mouthful of food 30 times to aid their mindful awareness. Some health experts recommend chewing each mouthful up to 32 times to aid digestion. Either way, it makes sense to eat more slowly, and you'll certainly appreciate the texture and flavor of the food you're eating.

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Musical healing - Choose a favorite piece of music, and imagine you composed it. Allow yourself to be drawn into the melody and then imagine the music is flowing out of you.

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Avoid multitasking -

Difficult to do in today's modern world, but try and stop multitasking, just for one day. Or even for an hour. Instead, concentrate on completing one activity before moving on to the next. You'll be surprised how productive carrying out a mono-task can be. 

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Me time - Make time for me time. Set aside an hour or so to do your own thing, be it a walk in the park, a workout in the gym, or just reading a chapter of a favorite book.

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Healing words - Don't be afraid to put your thoughts down on paper—positive and negative. Journaling can help bring you into the present by ridding the mind of mental chatter and providing an outlet for processing and understanding feelings and emotions.

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Mindful listening - Be more aware of what others are saying. Pay attention not just to the other person's words, but their tone of voice, facial expressions, and hand gestures.

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Connect to your spirituality - Learn how to tap into your spirituality. This is all about believing in a power that is outside the experience of your usual senses. Having a faith can help you cope with chronic pain. It can also help address mental issues.

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Non-religious - You don't have to be religious to benefit from a sense of spirituality. For example yoga, a spiritual practice unconnected to religion, can boost your well-being and strengthen your sense of identity and self-awareness.

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Mindfulness of smell - Our sense of smell can help us connect with our emotions. Light some incense and notice any feelings or memories associated with the scent.

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At work - Feeling the pressure in the office? Here's how to work it out. By taking more notice of the positive situations in the workplace you can stop stress in its tracks. Write down the good things that happen around you and then store them in your body's emotional memory.

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Sit properly - Did you know that your external posture often reflects the internal state of your mind? Take a mindful moment and notice the connection between your mind and your body. Sit tall at your desk, lift your head high, and feel all that tension dissipate with controlled breathing and a new sense of purpose.

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Take a tech break - Take a tech break. Allow yourself quality time away from computers and mobile devices. Switch them off altogether for a specific time period.

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Kids and family - Got kids? Remember, it's not just you that can benefit by embracing mindfulness. Your children can reap the rewards too.

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Children can benefit from mindfulness - A carefully structured program designed around the age and concentration levels of your child can positively impact on their psychological, social, and physical well-being.

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Capture the circadian rhythm - Is your life working overtime? In that case it's time to reset your body's natural rhythm. Getting up with the sun helps. In fact, try and wake up and get outside with the morning light. It helps regulate your circadian rhythm. In turn this triggers the release of sleep hormones after dark.

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Power shower -

Even as something as routine as taking a shower can promote mindfulness. Next time, pay real attention to the water running over your skin. Inhale the steam. Appreciate the scent of the soap on your skin, and the body scrub you're using. A shower should be an experience not just for the body, but for the mind too.

See also: 25 tips to live a long and healthy life.

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