Beginning Your Mindfulness Journey: A Holistic Guide to Mindful Living - Abhisshek Om Chakravarty | Holistic Life Coach & Mindfulness Mentor

Welcome, dear friend. I am glad you are here to start this meaningful journey into mindfulness with me. As someone who has spent over ten years helping more than 500 people find peace and clarity in their lives, I know the power of taking this first step.

Your Guide to This Journey

Before we begin, let me tell you a bit about myself. I am Abhisshek Om Chakravarty, and I have dedicated my life to helping others find their path to peace. Over these years, I have worked with teenagers struggling with study pressure, couples seeking harmony in their relationships, working professionals looking for balance, and many others facing life's challenges. Through meditation, mindfulness, and spiritual understanding, I have helped them break through their life blockages and find their way forward.

Understanding Mindfulness in Simple Terms

Many of my clients ask me, "Sir, what exactly is mindfulness?" Let me explain it the way I explained it to Shubham, a young bank clerk from Hyderabad. Imagine you are sitting at a busy railway station. Trains (your thoughts) come and go. Usually, we jump onto every train of thought that arrives. Mindfulness is simply sitting at that station, watching the trains come and go, without getting on them.

Shubham smiled when he heard this and said, "Ah, so I don't need to stop my thoughts. I need to stop chasing them!" Exactly. This simple understanding changed how he dealt with his daily stress at work.

Why Mindfulness Matters Today

Let me share the story of Sanjana, a mother of two from Mumbai. She contacted me feeling like she was always running and running to finish housework, help with homework, and meet family obligations. "Sir," she said in our first meeting, "I feel like I'm living life on fast-forward. I'm doing everything but enjoying nothing."

Many of you might feel the same way. In our busy Indian lives, between family duties, work pressure, and social responsibilities, we often forget to pause and breathe. This is what mindfulness helps us do. It teaches us to live fully in each moment, whether we're drinking our morning chai or helping our children with their studies.

Starting Where You Are

One thing I always tell my clients is that you don't need any special skills or equipment to start mindfulness. Anita, a teacher from Pune, was worried she wouldn't be able to practice mindfulness because she couldn't sit cross-legged for long. I told her what I'm telling you now:

You can practice mindfulness anywhere, in any position.

Let me share the simple exercise that helped Anita begin her journey. I call it the "Chai Break Practice":

The next time you have your tea or coffee, try this: Feel the warmth of the cup in your hands. Notice the steam rising from your drink. Smell the aroma before each sip. Taste each sip fully. When your mind wanders (and it will), gently bring it back to your drink

Anita started practising this during her short breaks at school. "It's amazing," she told me after a week. "Those five minutes with my tea have become the most peaceful part of my day."

Finding Peace in Daily Life

After practising the Tea Break exercise, many of my clients ask, "But sir, what about the rest of the day?" This is what Ramesh, a busy shopkeeper from Ahmedabad, asked me. He felt he didn't have time for mindfulness with customers coming and going all day. So, I taught him what I call "Moment Mindfulness."

Ramesh learned to take three mindful breaths while arranging his shop items. He practised being fully present while listening to his customers. Within weeks, not only did he feel more peaceful, but his customers noticed the difference, too. "They tell me the shop has a different feeling now," he shared with joy. "Even my wife says I'm more patient at home."

Your Mind is Like a Garden

I often explain mindfulness using the example of a garden, as I did with Meena, a homemaker from Kolkata who struggled with worried thoughts. "Think of your mind as a garden," I told her. "Right now, it's filled with weeds of worry. We can't stop seeds from falling into the garden, but we can choose which plants we water and care for."

This simple way of understanding helped Meena change her relationship with her thoughts. She learned to notice her worries without letting them grow into big problems. "Now when worries come," she tells me, "I can choose whether to water them or let them pass."

Simple Steps for Beginners

When Arjun, a 12th-standard student from Chennai, came to me stressed about his board exams, I taught him these simple steps that you, too can try:

Morning Minutes: 

• Start your day with three deep breaths before getting out of bed. Feel the comfort of your bed, notice the morning light, and hear the early birds. Arjun found this helped him start each day with a calm mind instead of exam stress.

Traffic Time: 

• My favourite: I have been using this technique for as long as I can remember. Kavita, one of my clients, is from Delhi. She learned to use her time stuck in traffic. Instead of getting angry, she would notice three things she could see, three things she could hear, and three things she could feel. "Those traffic jams became my mindfulness bells," she says with a laugh.

Study Break: 

• For Arjun, I created what we called "Book to Breath." After each chapter of the study, he would close his books and take five mindful breaths. This simple practice helped him retain information better and reduce anxiety.

When Mindfulness Feels Difficult

Many people tell me they can't practice mindfulness because their mind is too busy. Suresh, an IT professional from Bangalore, told me his mind was "like a cricket stadium during a final match." I told him I'd tell you that

A busy mind is not a problem for mindfulness. It's like saying you're too dirty to take a bath!

Suresh learned to start with just one minute of mindfulness. He would notice the feeling of his feet on the floor while coding. This tiny practice grew naturally over time. "Now," he tells me, "I can find calm even during project deadlines."

Building Your Practice Step by Step

Think of mindfulness as learning to play cricket. You don't start by playing in the IPL! You start with basic skills and practice regularly. This is what helped Preet, a young mother from Pune, develop her practice.

Preet started with morning tea mindfulness. Then she added mindful moments while feeding her baby. Slowly, she found more moments in her day to practice. "The beauty is," she says, "I'm not doing anything extra. I'm just doing what I already do, but with awareness."

Understanding Your Mind

One of my Social Media Friends, Vikram, a college professor from Mumbai, asked me an important question: "Abhi, why does my mind keep wandering during practice?" I said

Mind-wandering is not a failure of mindfulness. Noticing that your mind has wandered is mindfulness.

Think of it like this: every time you notice your mind has wandered and you bring it back to the present moment, you're doing one 'mindfulness push-up.' This understanding helped Vikram stop judging himself and start enjoying his practice.

The Role of Breathing

Many of my clients find it helpful to focus on their breath during practice. Geetanjali, a nurse from Kerala, learned to take three mindful breaths between patients. "It helps me stay present for each person," she says. "I'm not carrying the stress from one patient to another."

Your breath is always with you, like a faithful friend. When you feel lost in thoughts or emotions, your breath can bring you back to the present moment. Try this simple practice that helped Geetanjali:

Feel the natural flow of your breath, Notice where you feel it most clearly. It maybe in your nose, chest, or belly. Don't try to change it, but just observe it When your mind wanders, gently return to feeling your breath.

Making Mindfulness Your Own

One beautiful thing about mindfulness is that you can adapt it to your life. Pandu, a vegetable seller from Hyderabad, practices mindfulness while arranging his vegetables. Khusboo, a high school student, practices while walking to her tuition classes. Naina, a grandmother, practices while doing her morning puja. Find moments in your day that naturally suit you for practice.

Creating a Mindful Home

Many families I work with want to bring mindfulness into their homes. The Kumar family from Delhi found a beautiful way to do this. They created what they call "Mindful Meals" - everyone stays silent for the first five minutes of dinner, really tasting their food and enjoying being together.

Mrs. Kumar tells me, "These few minutes have changed our family time. We're more connected now, even when we're talking."

Mindfulness in Different Situations

Let me share how different people use mindfulness in their daily lives:

• For Study: Rahul, a medical student, uses mindful breathing before starting his studies. He says it helps him focus better and remember more.

• For Work: Priya, a software engineer, takes mindful breaks between coding sessions. She feels more creative and makes fewer mistakes.

• For Family: The Sharma family practices "Mindful Listening" - when someone speaks, everyone gives them their full attention. "Our arguments have reduced," Mr. Sharma tells me.

• For Sleep: Anjana, who struggled with insomnia, now does a body scan meditation before sleep. "I haven't used sleeping pills since learning this practice," she shares happily.

Common Questions Answered

Over my years of mentorship, I've heard many questions that you might also have:

• "I can't sit still for long, can I still practice mindfulness?" This is what Keshav a hyperactive teenager, asked me. I taught him walking mindfulness instead. Now he practices while walking to school.

• "My mind is too busy - is this normal?" Deepa, a working mother, worried about this. I explained that a busy mind is normal - mindfulness helps us relate to our thoughts differently, not eliminate them.

• "How do I know if I'm doing it right?" As I told Sunil, a perfectionist businessman - if you're noticing what's happening in the present moment, you're doing it right.

Growing Your Practice

Like a plant growing from a seed, your mindfulness practice will develop naturally with care and attention. Start small, be patient, and watch it grow. This is what happened with Lakshmi, a retired teacher who started with one minute of practice each morning.

"At first, one minute felt long," she tells me. "Now I naturally find myself being mindful throughout the day. It's become part of who I am."

Looking Ahead

As we come to the end of this second guide, remember that mindfulness is a journey, not a destination. In our next guide, we'll explore how mindfulness affects your brain and body, explained in simple terms with real examples from people just like you.

Until then, I encourage you to try the simple practices we've discussed: the tea break, Practicing Three Mindful Breaths, and Moment Mindfulness. Choose one that appeals to you and make it part of your daily life.

A Final Thought

Let me share what I often tell my clients:

You don't need to change yourself to practice mindfulness. You don't need to become calmer, more spiritual, or different in any way. Mindfulness is about getting to know yourself better, just as you are.

As Deepak, a busy father of three, told me after his first month of practice: "Sir, I haven't changed my life dramatically. But I'm living it more fully now. I taste my food better. I hear my children's laughter more clearly. I feel more alive."

This is my wish for you, too - not to become a different person but to experience your life more fully, one mindful moment at a time.

Thank you for beginning this journey with me. Remember, I'm here to guide you every step of the way.

See you on my next blog. Until then, may you find moments of peace in each day.

Om poornamadah Poornamidam |

Poornaat Poornamudachyate |

Poornasya Poornamaadaya |

Poornamevaavashishyate |

Om shanti, shanti, shanti hi ||

Hari Om Tatsat!

Warm regards,

Abhisshek Om Chakravarty, (Coach Abhisshek)

Holistic Life Coach | Mindfulness Mentor | Family Mindset Coach 

"Within each soul lies infinite wisdom; I simply help others uncover their light."

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