A 4-Step Guide to Mindfulness

Looking for tips or tricks on how to improve aspects of your life? It’s easier than you think.

Study after study from colleges, universities and health care providers have found that positive impacts on the immune system, sleep, blood pressure and more can come from practicing mindfulness, an activity of focusing one’s awareness on staying in the moment and bodily functions, from breathing to muscle movement.

To highlight some of the ways to bring mindfulness into everyday life, Working@Duke sought tips from four on-campus experts. 

Why is mindfulness good, anyway?

Dr. Adam Perlman, executive director, Duke Integrative Medicine

The ability to be aware and be present in the moment is something we all have to varying degrees, but it can be cultivated and enhanced. People tend to think of mindfulness in terms of relaxation, stress management and psychological wellbeing, but there’s also a strong body of evidence to show it can benefit things like pain or sleep. Mindfulness is a good way to find better work-life balance.

It’s about enhancing our lives and having a better sense of awareness for being present so we don’t miss out on the wonderful things in life.

Duke Integrative Medicine offers a variety of mindfulness programs which can be found on its website.

Get started with breathing

Rev. Sumi Loundon Kim, Buddhist chaplain at Duke

Take a long, gentle, deep breath in, beginning way down in the abdomen. This taps into "rest and digest” part of our nervous system, helping us feel calmer, more stable and more centered. Breathe down into the belly, filling up through the chest and into to the top of the throat. Exhale slowly. Notice how you feel with that one, deep breath.

A second practice is to take three gentle, deep in- and out-breaths. This mini-meditation can be done anytime, anywhere, as a way to transition between moments or while waiting. We practice this while waiting for a meeting to start or in the line at a grocery store. 

A third practice is to sit quietly and place your attention on following each breath as it moves in and out of the body. Let it flow naturally, not regulating the breath. Sit for a minute or two and feel the connection between your breath and body.

Sumi Loundon Kim is the Buddhist chaplain for the university and works with undergraduate and graduate students in the Buddhist Community at Duke.

Taste more, eat less

Esther Granville, nutrition program manager, LIVE FOR LIFE

There are two different approaches to mindfulness around food. One is in terms of strategy, using plates that are smaller so you’re naturally inclined to serve yourself less food. The other is to create an environment that supports positive habits and eliminates distraction so you can pay attention to your food.

First, always ask, ‘Am I hungry or just having a craving?’ Many people eat for reasons other than hunger, such as soothing emotional stress or sadness. People who practice mindful eating learn to identify those emotional triggers, and this is the first step in gaining control over emotional eating.

Often times, people get distracted and can end up eating mindlessly and they’re not thinking through the entire experience. Sit down at a table and eliminate distractions to be completely in the moment to experience smells, tastes and textures. Eat slowly. The idea is by mindfully eating, you gain a lot more pleasure and satisfaction from food while eating less.

Learn more about mindful eating and how it can impact your diet with free nutrition programs through LIVE FOR LIFE, including nutrition consultations. 

Stretch your body and mind

David Roberts, fitness instructor, Duke Recreation

My classes are considered a moving meditation called vinyasa style, which is movement paired with breathing. In a lot of ways, it’s similar to tai chi in that you’re being mindful of what your body is doing and aligning movement with breath. The most important thing is to not stress perfection, but focus on participating in the experience itself.

There are lots of good resources online for instruction if you go to YouTube and look up yoga poses or meditation styles. Exercising with a group is good because it gets everyone in a zone. Meditating at the beginning of a class brings everybody to the same energy level. Following instruction for breathing and movement can help you feel connected and at one with the universe. Practicing yoga can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, which also helps you experience joy more readily.

Duke Recreation members who have access to Brodie and Wilson recreation centers can attend yoga classes for free. A schedule of offerings is available here. Faculty and staff can find discounted membership to Duke facilities and others with the Duke Fitness Club.