I'm Lucie Fink and this week is
I just want to give you guys a little tidbit into what's going on right now.
I'm trying to record my vlogs in my apartment, and this city is so loud, and there's so much
construction going on outside, that I have to stop every two minutes to let the drill
happen, or the siren go by, and that is why I need to be more mindful.
If you're new to Refinery29’s YouTube channel, click on the little subscribe box in the corner,
and give this video a thumbs up if you're excited for a week of mindfulness.
When the seasons start to change it's easy to get overwhelmed with new tasks and busier
days.
So this week I decided to learn a few mindful habits that could really counteract that daily
stress.
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the present, and really acknowledging the
way you're thinking, and feeling in any given moment.
It can be a really helpful practice for anyone who's feeling overwhelmed, just to really
slow down the pace of it, and to remind us to be present, and positive even in the midst
of all the craziness going on in our daily lives.
When I woke up on Monday, one of the first things I did was sit right here on my bed,
and I gave myself about 10 minutes to let my body wake up slowly.
I took some deep breaths in through my nose, and as I was breathing I focused my attention
on the inhale, and then the exhale.
I knew that if I really wanted to get into a proper mindfulness habit there are certain
things that I need to make sure I'm doing every single day.
So I decided that for this entire week I was gonna start off each morning with some sort
of mindfulness breathing exercise, and then a cup of Japanese green tea,
which I believe is the mindfulness drink.
So after Monday's breathing practice, I went into the kitchen for my first tea of the week.
I began with Sencha and I let the tea bag steep in the cup before drinking it.
I also spent some time meditating on Monday.
The goal of meditation is to journey beyond your mind into this higher state of awareness.
Even though I did Five Days of Meditation years ago I actually recently, within the past
year, just started meditating every single morning.
So the time wasn't right for me back then but now I am in it to win it.
if you want to try this at home it's as easy as sitting with yourself in silence for five
to ten minutes and just letting your mind do whatever it wants.
But if you want more of a guided experience there are tons of free apps in the app store.
In New York, there's a studio called Inscape that offers guided meditation practices.
Focusing on things like stress relief, mindfulness, and even improving your sleep.
It's basically an escape in the middle of the city.
And they offer relaxation sessions in their alcove, as well as meditation sessions in
the dome.
I chose the meditation, and so when you arrive you remove your shoes, and then the session
facilitator stands at the door and gives you a little drop of essential oil before you
enter and take your seat.
When you're in there it's really hard to remember that you are in the center of a bustling city
with construction noises and cars honking.
You can't hear a thing in there.
It's completely immersive, and they use sound, scent, light, and temperature to remind you
to focus your attention inward and just reflect.
Be mindful as you enter back into the world, and travel gently.
Pranayama is the formal practice of controlling the breath.
And one method of pranayama that I've already practiced during Five Days of Yoga is called
nadi shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing.
So on Tuesday morning I woke up, I made my bed and then I sat right on it and practiced
this technique.
You start by sitting in a comfortable position and then gently closing your right nostril
with your right thumb.
You take a deep inhale through the left nostril, and then hold it and cover your left nostril
with the ring finger.
Then you release the thumb from the right side and breathe out the right nostril.
And you repeat this a few times alternating which nostril you're breathing in through,
and which you're breathing out through.
After some relaxing nadi shodhana, I went into the kitchen for my Tuesday morning Japanese
green tea.
I made sure to brew this one at a bit of a lower temperature than the Sencha to extract
the amino acid.
I knew when I started researching and planning activities for this five-day challenge, that
I wanted one of the days to be a full-on tech-free day.
Our phones have become so ingrained in our day-to-day lives, that we sit, and we stare
at these tiny screens all day, and basically just look at what other people are doing with
their lives.
And a major part of being mindful is just being present where you are, and focusing
on those real authentic moments going on around you.
So on Tuesday, I tucked my laptop underneath my mattress.
I put my cell phone away in my drawer, and I was totally tech-free.
And then I spent the rest of the day working on a mindful DIY project.
So things that are methodical, anything that instills a sense of inner calm or peace, these
are all considered mindful activities.
Don't look right here in the frame because it's gonna give away the project.
I have some crystals that I used to keep just on my bedside table on the base of the lamp,
and I love having them there, it's great that they're so close to my bed, but whenever I
would reach over I would knock them over, and they were always at risk of breaking.
So I decided to do a DIY project where I created Zen shelves, for just above my side of the
bed.
First I sanded and then painted the wood white, and then after I had painted a couple of layers,
and then let it dry.
I added bright turquoise to the edge that would face outward.
I hammered some nails into the wall and then hung up the shelves.
I wanted these shelves to be not only a dedicated space for my air plants and my crystals, but
also just art in and of themselves.
For the hour or so that I was working, I completely forgot everything going on around me, I forgot
all the work I had to do for the day, my phone was tucked away so I had no distractions,
and it was an incredibly relaxing and mindful activity.
On Wednesday, I started my morning with sama vritti or equal breathing.
The idea is that our bodies are always craving balance, so if we balance our breathing we
can help with this.
Inhale for a count of four.
Then exhale for a count of four.
If you want to take this one step further, increase the count to six seconds, or eight
seconds to calm the nervous system, increase focus and reduce stress.
On Wednesday morning I drank a cold brew Japanese green tea, that I had brewed the night before.
Instead of steeping this one in hot water I learned that when you brew it slowly at
a lower temperature, it offers a nice mild good flavor.
So I kept it in the fridge overnight, and then I enjoyed it Wednesday morning poured
over ice.
By Wednesday I realized how much I've been loving the ritual of having a Japanese green
tea every single morning.
And the more I think about it the more I realized that something as simple as drinking a cup
of tea can be a very mindful experience.
So after having my morning tea at home on Wednesday, I went to the East Village to be
part of a Japanese green tea ceremony.
My name is Souheki Mori.
I became a Japanese tea ceremony master in 2003, and then I have been learning Japanese
tea ceremony for over 20 years right now.
In these ceremonies, the entire prepping process as well as the brewing process, and the drinking
process become a total art form.
Every single moment is ritualized and it becomes a shared and very intimate experience.
I met with the tea master and she first had me remove my shoes and then sit very comfortably
on the tatami mat.
She started the ceremony by doing three walks to and from the tea kettle carrying different
containers each time.
So first it was the water, then the matcha container, and the drinking bowl, and lastly
all of her tools.
She bows before beginning the ceremony and then goes through the steps slowly and deliberately.
She takes her orange cloth which she folds very precisely, and uses it to purify the
matcha container, and also to purify the tea utensils, and the bowl.
Then she scoops the matcha powder into the bowl, as water and whisks away.
Fun fact of the day: when you're whisking matcha, I learned you're supposed to whisk
in the shape of an, M, or a W. Having the chance to take part in this tea ceremony was
incredibly special.
The tea master told me that she drinks three bowls of matcha a day, one after every meal.
Drinking Japanese matcha makes me mindful, and relaxing, and also calmed down.
Every single Japanese green tea that I've had this week was so unique, and I've actually
been using my bullet journal to write down the different flavors, and scents that are
coming through.
And the matcha obviously had its own flavor profile, but what really set that apart was
the experience of drinking it at a tea ceremony.
On Thursday morning I tried the four, seven, eight breathing exercise which can really
help you feel more grounded and more mindful.
You place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth and you start by exhaling
completely through your mouth making a whoosh sound, like
Then you inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds
making that whoosh sound once again.
This breathing system is supposedly a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system, and it
might leave you feeling a little bit lightheaded at first, but if you keep it up and if you
do it properly it can be very, very relaxing.
Thursday's tea was a green tea known for its roasty aroma, and once I finished it I jumped
right into my mindfulness task of the day, which was reorganizing my kitchen.
I recently did an episode focused entirely on getting my home organized, but in that
episode, I really focused heavily on my closet and Michael’s closet, as well as the bathroom
and the desk area.
So my kitchen was completely omitted, but to be honest the kitchen space has been stressing
me out a lot, because we have a ton of appliances, that we just leave out on the counters for
easy access, but that leads to a lot of clutter.
So on Thursday I popped on a podcast and did a major kitchen cleanup.
Organization is really such a great way to
practice mindfulness because the whole purpose
of it is clearing things out that are no longer serving you, to make room for what you need
in this present moment.
So after I was done I packed up a few different donation boxes for things we no longer use.
When you don't have so much stuff that's taking up not only your physical space but your mental
space as well, you overall feel more intentional about what you're using.
So after the clean-out on Thursday I kept just what's essential, and I let go of everything
that was just taking up space.
I started off the last day of this week by taking a mindfulness walk inside of my apartment.
I put on a comfortable outfit that allowed me to move freely, and also put some socks
on my feet because they're always cold.
If you live in a common peaceful setting where you can go outside, and be connected to nature,
I would highly recommend doing this mindfulness walk outdoors.
But since I'm in the heart of a really loud city, I figured doing this indoors would be
a little bit less distracting.
Basically, I just followed the steps for a mindful walking practice, and I began by pacing
up and down my hallway.
With each step, I paid attention to the lifting and the falling of my feet.
I noticed the movements in my legs and any shifting from side to side.
Whenever something else captured my attention I just gently came back to the sensation of
walking.
I focused on the sights, the smells, the sounds, and at the end of my walk I just sat on my
yoga mat for 15 minutes, reflected on my thoughts, and just acknowledged all the feelings I felt
during that activity.
I followed up the mindful walking exercise with my last Japanese green tea of the week.
A little bit later in the day, I wanted to try something hands-on, so I decided to explore
Japanese calligraphy.
If you remember, in an older video, I tried Five Days of Calligraphy and Hand Lettering,
and after that episode was over I did continue practicing my hand lettering, but only with
brush pens.
So this week I wanted to explore something a little bit different: shodo.
The art of Japanese Zen calligraphy.
I bought a giant book on the subject to teach me not only the history of Japanese calligraphy,
but also the type of paper you should use, the brush you need, how to hold the brush,
and the breathing sequences that you need to keep in mind as the brush is in motion.
I used calligraphy practice rice paper made in Japan, and a classic calligraphy brush,
and I followed the books direction for practicing my strokes, and also for drawing certain Japanese
characters.
It was really a peaceful moment for me.
The sun was just streaming in through the window, it was pouring onto the paper, and
the whole activity just gave me some time to breathe, and relax and really reflect on
the entire week.
I hope you were able to take away some tips on how you can get started practicing mindfulness
on your own.
And comment below if you have any more tips for us.
Thanks so much for watching, and let us know what else you want to see me try for five
days at a time.
See you then on Try Living With Lucie.
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