How to Find the Calm in the Midst of Life’s Chaos

The following is a guest post by my friend, David Hauser. Check out his new book, Unstoppable: 4 Steps to Transform Your Life, available now! 

We live in a chaotic world. We lead busy lives, raise overscheduled kids, and get praised for burning the candle at both ends. There’s not much in our modern way of life that encourages us to live in the present moment and to encounter reality with true serenity. That’s what makes it even more important for us to embrace mindfulness. Ultimately, it will help us lead fuller lives, make smarter decisions about our health, and guide our interactions with friends and family. 

Back when I was struggling with my weight and nutrition in my twenties and early thirties, I knew nothing of the practice of mindfulness. I’d inhale terrible foods, exercise relentlessly, get inadequate sleep, and wonder why I always felt like I was chasing some relentless and formless goal. It wasn’t until I stepped foot in my first yoga class that I became acquainted with the idea of mindfulness—a practice of training your mind, and, by extension, your body.

In life, you often don’t realize how much you need something until you try it. When I began to practice yoga regularly, I realized how chaotic and cluttered my mind was whenever I didn’t practice yoga. Yoga had a way of helping me to see reality more clearly, and it taught me not to put so much pressure on myself. 

You don’t have to become a monk to practice mindfulness. You don’t have to meditate for five hours a day. You just have to be willing to build a few moments into your daily routine. Here’s how.

How to Start a Mindfulness Practice

Start simple: begin by meditating for one minute a day. (Really, this can be as simple as sitting still with your eyes closed for one minute.) You could attend a yoga class. 

If it’s too scary or difficult to think about entering into stillness and silence with your eyes closed, just try focusing on your breathing. This is a good starting point for mindfulness: focusing on your breath, inhaling deeply through your nose, and feeling your belly contract and then fully expand with your breath. So many mindfulness practices get us back to the essentiality of breath, which is important because so many of us live our lives forgetting to take full and deep breaths. This kind of intentional breathing—along with breathing correctly—can make a really big difference in your life. 

Studies have shown that meditation and mindfulness practices could have an impact in as little as five to ten minutes per day. Remember, there’s no rush when it comes to yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. Everyone’s path is different. But if it interests you and you’re ready to make the commitment, see where it leads you. 

The Results are Clear

When I began to practice mindfulness regularly, I noticed big changes—and so did the people around me. People at work told me I seemed more patient. My girlfriend started telling me that I was more relaxed at home. Whether it’s meditation, breathing, mindfulness, or yoga, mindfulness practices have been proven to lower stress, blood pressure, and heart rate, as well as increase concentration and productivity, presence, gratitude, and patience.

Many people who have practiced this have used it successfully in managing anxiety and depression. What’s more, some studies indicate that mindfulness practices may lower inflammation in the body—one of the main causes of heart disease, certain forms of diabetes, and chronic disease. They’re also useful in dealing with mental and nervous system issues, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What’s even more wonderful about these mindfulness practices is that there’s no downside to trying them. Their whole purpose is to serve as an ongoing practice that guides you to become more fully present in your life, which can lead to better relationships, an increased ability to focus, increased satisfaction after meals, and a host of other benefits. 

Why Yoga is a Great Place to Start

In a busy society like ours, yoga can be a much easier transition into mindfulness compared with sitting still and meditating. It simultaneously engages you on a physical level, a social level, and a spiritual level. Personally, I found that yoga made me move differently, discover feelings within my muscles I used to ignore, and do things with my body that I never imagined possible. It also created a never-ending journey. Each step forward that I took in a single pose always opened another door, be it as simple as touching my toes for the first time or something as scary as attempting a handstand.

Yoga gave me a community and helped me to connect with people in a different way. No matter how challenging or grueling a class was, you knew that you were pushing yourself alongside others in a safe space where there was no room for judgment or criticism. I’ve never been a religious person, but, for lack of a better term, yoga moved me spiritually, affecting me on a deep, personal level because of the practice of mindfulness. I found myself to be more compassionate at home and less judgmental of others out in public. And I became more aware of my own self-criticism.

Seven Life Principles

Ultimately, yoga helped me to realize that mindfulness was the missing link in my life—it was the glue that held all of the different aspects of my world together. Here are seven powerful principles I have learned along the way: 

• You are exactly where you need to be.
• Fear and pain are life’s greatest teachers.
• Laughter and play are the fountains of youth.
• Exercise and rest are essential to vibrant health.
• Intimacy and touch are basic human needs.
• Everything is impermanent.
• Everything is connected.

Whether you try yoga, meditation, or some other practice, I encourage you to build mindfulness into your routine. At its core, mindfulness is about slowing down and silencing the voices of self-judgment; it’s about cultivating a richer understanding of the world and life in general. Mindfulness can get you back to some of life’s essentials: breath, awareness, presence, gratitude, and peace, and the lessons you learn in those quiet moments can be implemented in every area of your life. 

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For more advice on cultivating mindfulness, you can find Unstoppable on Amazon.

David Hauser is a serial entrepreneur who launched several companies before he began high school. David spent his youth working more than one hundred hours a week, until he realized the toll it was taking on his mind, body, and life. After failing to see results from conventional wisdom, he decided to do what he does best: innovate. His unique journey to wellness has helped him realize his life’s purpose of empowering others to optimize their own lives by reclaiming their health. As David continues to evolve, he receives tremendous support from his partner, Dawn, and their three inspiring children.