“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994, p. 4)
Myth: You have to empty your mind to practice mindfulness.
Fact: Mindfulness isn’t about stopping thoughts. It’s about noticing your thoughts without getting caught up in them.
Are you interested in starting a mindfulness journey and reaping the benefits?
Starting a mindfulness practice can feel daunting, but it’s all about keeping it easy, achievable, and enjoyable.
Find what works for you and stick to it — even a few minutes a day is enough to experience the benefits.
To make it super easy for you, in this post you’ll find beginner mindfulness exercises and tips to help you overcome common challenges along the way.
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As mentioned in our previous article where we explored mindfulness exercises more generally, mindfulness can help your brain and body respond to stress, emotions, and thoughts better — if practiced regularly, that is.
Now, we turn our attention to beginner mindfulness with a focus on simple, accessible ways to bring it into your everyday life.
As with any skill, mindfulness develops through steady, consistent practice. Starting with beginner mindfulness exercises is beneficial for several reasons.
1. Staying consistent
It’s like starting at the gym. If you begin with manageable weights or exercises, you’re more likely to keep showing up. Doing short, simple practices will help you build confidence and a strong foundation.
2. Building focus and tolerance
The mind can be restless, a concept sometimes referred to as the monkey mind, and many of us aren’t used to sitting still for extended periods.
When you first get started, it can feel frustrating and uncomfortable, so it’s easier to strengthen the attention muscles by starting off with shorter practices.
3. Boosting motivation
Even with beginner mindfulness exercises, you’ll likely notice some positive changes, like feeling calmer or clearer. These small benefits can engage the brain’s reward system and reinforce motivation to keep practicing (Miles et al., 2023).
Common Beginner Challenges and How to Overcome Them
There are some common challenges that many beginners and even experienced practitioners come up against.
Remember, it’s a practice. You’re not expected to master it immediately. In fact, it’s not about mastery at all but connecting to yourself, your mind and body, and the present moment with openness, curiosity, and compassion.
Wandering thoughts
The goal of mindfulness isn’t to stop thoughts or empty your mind. Mindfulness means noticing when your mind has wandered and bringing it back to what you’re focusing on.
The more you practice, the quicker you’ll get at noticing when your mind has drifted off.
Restlessness
It’s common to feel a bit restless when you first get started, and there might always be days when it feels more difficult to stay mindful. In those moments, shorter practices (one to two minutes) can make it easier while still being beneficial.
Uncomfortable emotions
Mindfulness isn’t always a pleasant experience. It can bring up difficult or uncomfortable emotions. This is good because you’re learning to sit with emotions without judging or reacting to them.
If it feels like too much, you could try a guided exercise focused on self-compassion or do a shorter practice that day.
Inconsistency
Staying consistent can always be a challenge, even if you’ve been practicing mindfulness for a while. Try to build it into your daily routine and don’t judge yourself — just keep going.
A few extra tips
The mind will jump around and try to distract you. At first, allow your mind to wander. Don’t force it to be still, as this can make it more unsettled. Observe and bring it back to the object of your focus with compassion — it’s a process.
If you find it hard to sit still, choose a sensory mindfulness exercise. It’s just as good at grounding you in the present moment.
It doesn’t have to be an entirely serious practice. You’re allowed to approach it with curiosity and enjoyment.
Now that we have explored what to expect and how to get started, here are five easy beginner mindfulness exercises that you can do anytime.
10-breath reset
This is a simple breathing exercise that can be done in two different ways for one to two minutes:
Take two short breaths in through the nose and then slowly exhale through the mouth.
Count 10 slow, deep inhalations and exhalations. Inhale through the mouth and exhale through the mouth with a gentle sigh, slowly and deeply. Repeat 10 times.
Box breathing
This breathing exercise builds your focus and slows down your breathing, which calms the nervous system (Zaccaro et al., 2018).
Inhale through your nose for a count of four.
Hold the breath for a count of four.
Exhale through your mouth or nose for a count of four.
Stop for a count of four.
Repeat for three to five minutes.
It can be helpful to imagine you’re tracing the sides of a box with your breath, hence the name “box breathing.”
If doing four counts is too fast or slow, you can adjust the count, but make sure they’re equal.
Mini body scan
For three to five minutes, tune in to yourself and scan each body part, moving from the head down to your toes (or vice versa). Notice any sensations that come up. You might not notice anything at all, and that’s OK too. The main thing is to be aware without judging or changing what you’re experiencing.
5 senses grounding
This exercise allows you to focus on the present moment through your five senses:
Take a few deep breaths and arrive in your body wherever it is in the present moment.
Look around and notice five things you can see and view them for a few seconds each.
Touch four things in your environment, like a table, the wall, or your own clothing.
Listen for three distinct sounds.
Smell two things, either in the air or by holding your nose toward the object.
Taste one thing.
To finish, take a few breaths.
Mindful listening
For this exercise, select one song and listen to it from start to finish. During this time, don’t do anything else but listen to the music and words and notice anything that comes up. Closing your eyes might make this easier.
Practicing Mindfulness in Everyday Moments
While you can dedicate a specific time to practicing mindfulness, it can also be integrated into everyday moments.
In fact, the more you integrate it into your day, the more it becomes a way of being rather than just something you do.
Initially, you might want to choose one activity in your day that you bring your full attention to, for example, walking, brushing your teeth, cooking, eating, or any other activity you do daily. Simply observe what it feels like and what thoughts or emotions come up with curiosity.
According to Miles et al. (2023), piggybacking mindfulness to existing routines helps you build a habit. Over time, you will become more aware throughout the day as your brain builds new connections for mindful awareness.
A Take-Home Message
Mindfulness isn’t about mastery or doing it perfectly. It’s a way of being that you learn gradually, in your own time and in your own way. For a beginner, mindfulness can start with short, simple practices to train your mind slowly.
Every moment is an opportunity to practice. Even now, as you read these words, you can become aware of where your body is in space, what you sense, and what thoughts or feelings are coming up.
Whether you’re breathing, walking, or washing the dishes, doing so with mindful awareness helps you stay in the present moment rather than getting caught up in rumination or worry.
How long should a beginner practice mindfulness each day?
How long your beginner mindfulness practice should be every day is a personal choice. However, it’s usually a good idea to start with shorter sessions between two and 10 minutes. Consistency is more important than duration because it helps you build a habit without feeling overwhelmed.
Do I need to meditate to be mindful?
Although meditation is a powerful practice to build mindful awareness, you don’t have to meditate to be mindful. Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment without judgment and with curiosity and openness. It’s something you can do anytime, like when you’re walking, eating, or listening. It’s a way of being, not just a practice you do. Meditation is a dedicated practice that builds your mindfulness muscles.
References
Miles, L. W., Francis, A. J. P., & Flegal, K. E. (2023). Making mindfulness meditation a healthy habit: Integrating habit formation into mindfulness theory and practice. Mindfulness, 14, 2988–3005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02258-6
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hyperion.
Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, Article 353. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353
About the author
Anna Drescher, is a mental health writer and editor with a background in psychology and psychotherapy. In addition to her writing and editorial work, Anna is a certified hypnotherapist and meditation teacher. She has extensive experience working within the mental health sector in various roles including support work, managing a service user involvement and coproduction project, and working as an assistant psychologist within the NHS in England.
Are you interested in starting a mindfulness journey and reaping the benefits?
There are some common challenges that many beginners and even experienced practitioners come up against.
While you can dedicate a specific time to practicing mindfulness, it can also be integrated into everyday moments.
