For many of us, our minds are full of thoughts about the past or future, so we need to develop the mental muscle of being aware of what's actually going on. We need to learn to tap into our own natural mindfulness. It takes practice to train our brain to operate in this way. In this video, we introduce two ways to do this, practicing mindfulness as we go about the day and adopting a more formal meditation practice. We can practice mindfulness anywhere, anytime, by paying attention with an open attitude. For example, as you go about your day at work, you can notice how your body feels as you walk down the hall. As you practice in this way, you'll notice how naturally you can experience mindfulness. We can also practice with more formal mindfulness sessions, setting aside some time to pay attention, what is often called meditation. This technique helps train your attentional focus and reduce excessive rumination. One technique for meditation is to pay attention to your body and breath. This helps you become aware of what is happening right now because the body and breath are always in the present moment. It is important to set an intention, to pay attention, and to return again to these sensations each time your mind wanders to start again, and you return your attention each time with patience and kindness to yourself. But whether you practice the more formal meditation I just described or you practice as you go about your daily life, the keys are the same, to set an intention, to pay attention, and to start again each time your mind wanders. You do so without judgment, simply beginning again without criticism, noticing that wandering is just what our minds have the habit of doing. To understand the role of formal practice versus practicing in daily life on the go, we can use an analogy. Formal practice is like going to the gym to build muscle. News anchor, Dan Harris, calls these practices bicep curls for the brain. Practicing in your daily life is like adding more physical activity into your day. For example, building stamina by walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator or getting a bit of exercise by parking further away from the door. So, let's just try this for a minute. Put down what you're doing and just pay attention. Please note if at any point you feel this practice is too much to handle, then stop and look around the room at your surroundings, and maybe gently move your body in a way that feels comforting. So, start by finding a comfortable position, sitting if you like or perhaps standing, whatever works for you. If it feels supportive, you can close your eyes. You can do that right now or you can leave them open with a soft gaze. Taking three deep breaths, noticing the in-breath all the way through and then the out-breath all the way to the end being aware of the sensations of breathing. Now, pick one sense, hearing or seeing, or touching might be the easiest. If you choose hearing or touching, you might want to close your eyes if you haven't already done that. Now, just pay attention for a minute to what arises through that sense. Notice with curiosity, just let the sound or the sights, or touch sensations come to you. No need to judge or evaluate, or think about them, you're noticing direct experience. Now, if your eyes were closed, you can open them and slowly look around the room. So, what was your response? What did you notice? We're going to leave you with these key points.