If you’ve never tried mindfulness meditation it might sound complicated and a little woo-woo. But it’s actually a simple practice that provides powerful benefits for a mom with a thousand things running through my mind.

This isn’t mindfulness meditation for monks, yogis, or gurus. No, no, no… we moms don’t have time to spend time in isolation to discover “inner peace.” I want to show you how you can practice meditation with little time no matter how crazy your world is.

(I’ll even explain how to do it while brushing your teeth!)

So, what is mindfulness?

As Andy Puddicombe of Headspace explains, mindfulness is the act of being fully present and engaged in the moment, aware of your thoughts and feelings without distraction or judgment.

A state of mindfulness is like watching a cloud pass by in the sky: you’re not interacting with it, you’re not passing judgment upon it, you’re simply observing it.

But what’s the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Mindfulness and meditation are similar in many ways, but there are also differences. Let me explain.

Meditation refers to a formal, seated meditation practice with your focus turned inward. It’s an intentional practice to promote calmness, concentration, awareness, and emotional balance. A session can last anywhere from a minute to an hour or more. There are many types of meditation and they can provide different benefits. Some types can help you become more aware of internal feelings, calm your mind, or help you fall asleep.

Mindfulness is the simple act of paying attention, noticing, and being present in whatever you’re doing. When you’re being mindful, you’re noticing the world around you, as well as your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, movements, and effects you have on those around you.

What are the benefits of mindfulness?

Studies have shown that 80% of Americans experience stress each day. I know I often fall into that 80% category. But practicing mindfulness helps me join the 20% who aren’t stressed more often.

So, what are the ways a busy mom can benefit from practicing mindfulness? There are both physical and mental benefits of mindfulness.

Physical benefits of mindfulness

Mindfulness can help relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and even alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties. And for a busy mom like yourself, it will allow you to be more present with your children and spouse.

Mental benefits of mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness has been shown to prevent depression and anxiety. It’s also been shown to help with substance abuse, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We could all relax a little more – practicing mindfulness is a good way to learn how!

How to practice mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness is quite simple. And the more you do it the easier it becomes.

If you’re anything like me, your mind is always wandering. Between my daily to-do list, wondering what my children are doing, thinking about dinner, my mind is in a constant juggling act.

But mindfulness is all about being in the moment. And one of my favorite ways to practice it is while washing my hands. Sounds silly, right? I felt the same at first.

As a child, you probably practiced mindfulness without even knowing it while laying on your back watching the clouds pass by. Mindfulness is simply observing and experiencing the world around you.

So let’s walk through our handwashing example.

Practicing mindfulness while washing your hands

Bring your thoughts to your hands and block out everything around you as well as your internal thoughts. Observe the water flowing down upon your hands – is it hot? Is it cold?

Observe how the soap feels as you lather it in your hands. Does it have a smell? What does it smell like?

Observe how your hands feel rubbing against each other. How do your hands feel? Are they soft? Or are they firm?

This brief moment of quieting your mind can have a profound effect on the remainder of your day.

Three simple mindfulness meditation practices for moms

You're a mom and you can’t afford to spend hours meditating. So let me give you three quick and easy ways to practice mindfulness.

5-minute mindfulness breathing meditation

Twenty to sixty minutes is a standard amount of time for meditation. But most moms can’t afford twenty minutes, let alone an hour. Headspace is an app that is great for short meditation sessions. They actually have a free ten-minute meditation course you can follow for ten days to introduce you to the practice.

They also have a 5-minute “Alone time” exercise on their website. You can try it out here.

1-minute meditation

Can’t spare five minutes? I get it – no judgment here. In as little as one minute you can begin to experience the benefits of mindfulness meditation.

For 60-seconds simply observe your breathing:

Slowly breathe in through your nose, feeling the air filling your lungs, then slowly breathe out through your mouth. Form an “O” shape with your lips as you breathe out.

As you breathe in through your nose count 1. Then, as you breathe out through your mouth count 2. Continue this process until you count up to 10 and then start back at 1 until you reach 60-seconds.

Be mindful during mundane activities

As I previously mentioned, mindfulness is the simple act of paying attention, noticing, and being present in whatever you’re doing. This could be done while washing the dishes, rocking the baby to sleep, or even brushing your teeth.

Just be aware of the activity: notice what you’re feeling, what you’re smelling, what you’re doing, and bring your attention to it.

If you’re brushing your teeth, notice the following:

The flavor of the toothpaste on your tongue.
The smell of the toothpaste coming through your nostrils.
The tingling sensation of the toothpaste on your gums and teeth.
The way the toothbrush moves over your teeth and gums.
The sounds of the bristles moving back and forth in your mouth.

Conclusion

You’re a busy mom with a thousand things on your mind. The last thing you need is another thing added to the steady stream of thoughts running through your brain.

But this practice will help you tune into your experiences and become more present and aware during every moment. It doesn’t have to be complicated or require a lot of time. In as little as one minute you can begin to experience the benefits of mindfulness.

Mindfulness Meditation for Moms