正念所包含的内容不仅仅只是坐在瑜伽垫上冥想。虽然可能是以这种方式开始练习，但你很快就会发现，自我意识和内省技能都会在你驾驭日常生活的过程中形成。事实上，你可以用自身方法来激发出必要的变化，并在整体上建立一种更健康的生活方式。
想知道究竟如何利用新的或已建立的正念练习来令生活更美好，这里有四个正念小贴士，助你形成新的习惯。
了解自己的思维方式
人类如何成长、学习、改变和发展？正念可令你意识到在内心一直进行着的过程。它甚至可以通过驯服和重构一些不合时宜的想法来帮助你疗愈心理疾病。
For example, your default mode network refers to interconnected brain areas that come alive when you aren’t actively engaged in a specific task, such as when you’re daydreaming. Researchers suspect that this network could relate to mental disorders as diverse as schizophrenia and depression, as it governs how you perceive others and process the sensory information that’s bombarding you daily. Evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation can calm activity in your default mode network, thereby easing symptoms of mental illness.
Likewise, mindfulness makes you aware of when your brain switches from active learning to actions that are taken by habit. Research in habit-forming shows a pattern in the striatum, which is a part of the basal ganglia. When you first learn a new routine, the neurons in this area will fire continually to help you remember the actions. However, clusters of neurons will only come alive at the beginning and end after the actions have become habitual.
想想在红灯前停车的情况。你不会有意识地想，"这意味着停止。我想我该踩刹车了。" 大脑只是命令你的脚去执行正确的动作。
了解自身思维方式将有助于看到形成新习惯的好处，并作为持续的鼓励。当一个动作成为习惯时，你可以从体内感受到它，通过正念意识到这一变化，会令你为之雀跃!
改写沮丧的想法
Mindfulness can also help you form new habits by making you aware of discouraging thoughts as they occur. You can then take immediate action to reframe these ideas in a more positive light that encourages you to keep moving forward.
或许可以想象一下，进行正念冥想时，你的脑子里会有一个小小的中立科学家。在这种类型的练习中，目标是摒弃杂念，只关注呼吸，但思想自然会侵入。当思想入侵时，想象你的小科学家在翻开新的空白页之前，将每一个想法都记录在笔记本上。这个练习将教你觉察并体会那些思想，而且不带上那些总在反复涌现的情绪。
同样地，如果练习够多，你会注意到自己飘离垫子之上，观察了自己的想法。匿名酗酒者协会的人经常把它们叫做 "腐臭想法"，那些在做出保持清醒承诺后，又拿来为喝酒辩护的想法。
你可能会想，"今天已经很累了，喝上一杯不会伤害到我"，但如果用心观察过酒精对情绪的影响，并认识到它只会引发更严重的焦虑，你就会有不同的想法了。然后你可以把这想法改写为："缓解压力还有更多更好的办法"，并选择其中的一种。
在其中保持呼吸
Practicing Yoga teaches you how to remain in uncomfortable poses using your breath. Why does this work? Techniques such as two-to-one and boxed breathing impact your central nervous system, which will help you balance your sympathetic and parasympathetic functions, along with easing your stress and even your perception of pain.
深呼吸，当你用它来打断那些有可能使你脱离目标的触发因素时，还可以帮助你形成新的习惯。例如，可怕的 "饥饿焦虑 "会使你感到非常紧张，以至于你可能认为只有再喝一杯才能消除你的恐慌，尽管你知道反弹效应会造成更严重的神经衰弱情况。调节呼吸可以帮助平息不安情绪，消除你喝酒的冲动。
Sometimes, reaching your goals can inspire feelings of panic that derail your progress towards other goals and make you flee to old, maladaptive behaviors. As an example, sometimes sexual abuse survivors who lose weight start attracting more romantic attention. Unwanted flirtations can trigger feelings of terror and helplessness, which can make a survivor binge-eat so they once again feel unattractive and “safe.”
深呼吸作为一种选择，可以创造必要的停顿，把你的行为与不舒服的情绪联系起来。一旦你确定，"我吃东西是为了压制我对看起来对别人有吸引力的不适感"，你就可以积极选择你要如何回应这个触发因素。
你是想让你的减肥进程脱轨，并承受与肥胖相关的不利健康影响，还是找到另一种方式让自己感觉更安全，比如报名参加一个武术班？一旦向自己提出质疑，更好的选择将变得清晰。
通过观察大自然培养耐心
人们往往在新习惯完全形成之前就放弃了，因为他们对所看到的缺乏进展感到沮丧。他们可能会以一顿油腻的饭菜为借口，把他们对健康饮食的承诺扔进垃圾桶，而不是简单地想："嗯，午餐太油腻了。我得吃一顿清淡的晚餐。"
你的思想可以是你实现目标路上最好的朋友，也可以是你最坏的敌人。当建立起思想过程的意识时，把你的意识设想成是另一个人的意识可能会有帮助。你的自我对话是什么样的？那种方式是否就是你期待亲人会如此跟你说话呢？
You can mindfully cultivate patience as you form new habits by observing nature. Look at how spring transitions to summer, fall and then winter. You may have the occasional snowfall in May and June or a heat wave in November, but Mother Earth doesn’t let these minor aberrations derail her from her ultimate goal—and so, each season follows the previous one in turn.
Spend a few moments watching ants going about their business. They may hit roadblocks, but they inevitably regroup and get back to work. What can our miniature cousins teach you about perseverance?
Instead of giving up when you face a challenge, take to your mat or a comfortable sitting position outdoors. Mindfully reflect on what’s standing in your way and make some room for silence. The answer may emerge from within, or you might find a new way of looking at the situation with more acceptance and patience for the slow but sure process of change.
随意练习之外还有更多
作为每周几次的心理健康或精神练习，正念可以比这些更有意义。那些定期参与正念练习的人发现，在进行日常工作时，他们会更加关注自己的内心和外部世界。
幸运的是，这种意识水平将使你能够使用上述正念小贴士来帮助你形成新的习惯，使你的生活变得更美好。只要有决心和毅力，你就能创造出梦想中的生活!
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