The Two Sides of Mindfulness: Formal Practice vs. Real-Life Living

Mindfulness is more than just sitting on a cushion; it’s a way of life. But how do you actually practice it?

There are really two ways people talk about practicing mindfulness. There’s the formal practice, where you set aside time and really focus, and then there’s the informal practice, which is about bringing awareness into the messiness of daily life. Both are important. You can’t really have one without the other.

What's the Difference?

Feature	Formal Mindfulness	Informal Mindfulness
Goal	To build a strong foundation and deepen specific skills (like focus).	To integrate awareness into your daily life.
When	At a specific, set time and dedicated location.	Anytime, during routine daily activities.
Examples	20-minute seated meditation, body scan, mindful yoga session.	Mindful washing of the dishes, conscious walking, and paying attention while eating.

Formal Practice: Your Mindfulness Workout

This is the time you carve out just for this. You’re not trying to get anything done, you’re not trying to fix anything. You’re just sitting with yourself, noticing what’s actually happening. Sometimes it’s your breath, sometimes it’s just the feeling of being alive. This is where you start to see what your mind is really up to.

The Unique Benefits of Going Formal:

• Laser Focus: By sitting still and concentrating, you train your attention intensely. This builds a powerful, focused mind that's less easily distracted later on. It’s like doing heavy lifting for your focus.

• A Stress Reset Button: Dedicate a specific time—say, 15 minutes every morning—to a stress-relief practice that provides a reliable, systematic way to offload stress and calm your nervous system. You get a guaranteed moment of deep peace every day.

• Deep Self-Insight: When you create space for introspection, you see your own thoughts, emotions, and habits more clearly. You learn who you are beneath the noise.

• Stronger Emotional Control: By observing your feelings without immediately reacting, you create a pause. This pause is the key to responding skillfully to life instead of exploding impulsively.

Informal Practice: Mindfulness in Real Life

Informal practice is about bringing that same kind of attention into the middle of your day. There’s no special posture, no timer. You just try to be present with whatever is happening, even if it’s tedious or uncomfortable or messy.

The Unique Benefits of Going Informal:

• Turning Chores into Calm: You take mundane activities—like doing dishes, brushing your teeth, or waiting in line—and use them as anchors for the present moment.2 This turns moments of boredom or irritation into opportunities for peace.

• Happier Relationships: When you speak, listen, or interact with someone mindfully, you are fully present with them. This deepens connection, improves communication, and reduces unnecessary conflict.

• On-the-Spot Stress Management: Stress doesn't wait for your meditation cushion. Informal practice teaches you to acknowledge and cope with stress as it arises (e.g., a deadline panic or traffic jam), reducing its overall impact on your day-to-day health.

• Living the Benefits: This is how mindfulness becomes a true lifestyle change. It ensures that the peace and clarity you gain in formal practice aren't just confined to your cushion but are seamlessly woven into every moment of your life.

The Power of Both

The real transformation comes when you let them support each other.

Formal practice is where you build the foundation. Informal practice is where you see if it actually holds up, in the middle of your life.

Think of formal practice as charging your battery, and informal practice as keeping it from draining throughout the day. By using both, you cultivate a life that is consistently more focused, peaceful, and present.

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Don’t take our word for it...

The Formal Practice: The Anchor of Breath

This exercise builds your core focus muscle and gives you a dedicated mental break.

• Time: 5 minutes (set a gentle timer).

• How to do it:

• Find your spot: Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or cross-legged. Keep your back straight but relaxed. You can let your eyes close or soften your gaze downwards.

  • Find your anchor: Bring your full attention to the physical sensation of your breath—perhaps the feeling of air flowing through your nostrils, or the slight rise and fall of your belly.

  • Count the breaths: As an extra focusing aid, silently count each exhale, from one up to ten. When you reach ten, start back over at one.

  • When your mind wanders (and it will!): The moment you realize you've been thinking about your to-do list, what you had for lunch, or anything else, gently acknowledge the thought. Then, redirect your full attention back to your breath and the number you were counting.

• The Benefit: You are training your mind to return to the present moment, increasing your ability to sustain focus when you need it most.

  
  

The Informal Practice: Mindful Handwashing

This exercise helps you integrate awareness into a mandatory daily activity.

• Time: The duration of washing your hands (about 30–60 seconds).

• How to do it:

• Notice the intention: As you approach the sink, make a conscious decision: "For this minute, I will only focus on washing my hands."

  • Engage the senses: Pay close attention to all the sensory details:

  • Sight: The clear water running from the tap.

    • Touch: The temperature of the water, the slick feel of the soap, the texture of the bubbles.

    • Sound: The rushing water, the sound of your hands rubbing together.

    • Smell: The scent of the soap.

  • Stay with it: If your mind tries to pull you away to a meeting or an email, gently notice the thought and bring your attention back to the feeling of the water and soap on your skin.

• The Benefit: You use a simple, routine action to anchor yourself in the present, helping you feel less rushed and more centered throughout your day.

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If you want to learn more about the foundations of mindfulness, deepen your own practice, and potentially offer the gift of mindfulness to others, check out our trainings online and our Meditation Teachers Training.

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