Poems about mindfulness are so powerful when you really want to dial in to what’s important in life.
Mindfulness poems will bring you back to the present moment, and can inspire you to have a more positive, light-hearted outlook on life.
If your inner thoughts feel heavy or just a little bit dark at this time, the mindfulness poems below will absolutely bring you some peace.
This post is all about 22 poems about mindfulness to help you be more present.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is simply being acutely aware of the present moment.
The dictionary definition of mindfulness is the process of “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.”
Mindfulness is being present and accepting of your thoughts.
How can I practice being mindful?
You don’t need to have a formal mindfulness practice in order for mindfulness to be beneficial.
You also don’t need to practice being mindful for a long time each time – it can be as short as a few seconds.
It can be as simple as stopping yourself in the middle of the day to truly focus on where you are, how you are feeling, what you see, smell, or even taste.
Get very aware of your current state, and suddenly, you will be absolutely present.
When you are present, you are not fixating on the past or worried about the future.
The past and the future dissolve, and you simply are. That’s why mindfulness is such a powerful tool.
It can make you feel a lot better, almost immediately.
The very act of reading mindful poetry in your daily life is another great way to practice being mindful.
As you read these poems, the words within them will act as the best tools for getting you to be as present as possible.
Why is practicing mindfulness important?
Mindfulness is a meditation practice and there are so many benefits of meditation.
We all lead such busy, even chaotic, lives at times and we’re constantly focused on what we need to do next to get to where we want to go.
But by being mindful, you are forced to slow down and appreciate and accept the present moment instead of focusing on the past or future.
Mindfulness meditation is a powerful way to practice slowing down our daily lives and getting clear on what is in front of us and what is most important in your own life.
Not practicing mindfulness may just be a great mistake.
Life goes by much faster than we’d all like to admit, but you can slow it down just a bit by making sure that you are getting present as often as you can in your own body.
22 Mindful Poems To Help You Be More Present
Have yourself a mindful moment by reading the mindfulness poetry collection below.
As you read these meditative poems, you will find yourself becoming more calm and mindful, and maybe even full of hope.
1. “Leisure”
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
– W. H. Davies
2. “Being Present”
I like petals in the sunshine
that sleep beneath the roses
and I like the sound a bird makes
when its beak opens and closes.
I like the way the grass bends
in the passing of a breeze
and I like the way that vines look
as they climb and wind up trees.
I like the way the world looks
as I sit here on the ground
and I love the way my mind feels
when I notice what’s around.
3. “Today is a Present”
Tomorrow is the future
Yesterday is the past
Today is a present
A gift that may not last
If today were the last day you could ever hold a thought
Would you sit and dwell on the misery of all your hads and nots?
Would you cry up in your pillow
And wallow in your bed
Would you let the day transpire
with all your words unsaid?
Would you tiptoe around the thoughts of love
you never thought you’d show?
And walk on eggshells through the dross
of all the strife you’ve come to know?
Or would you tip your hat to the future
that everybody wants to meet?
Flippin birds to the hurdles
of the past that came to be
As you sit back and enjoy the present
The only gift you really have
And indulge in every moment
And drown out all the bad
– Maria Prosecutor
4. “Each Moment Is Precious”
Live in the moment,
Just take it all in.
Pay attention to everything,
Right there and right then.
Don’t let your mind wander
To what’s coming next.
Cherish this moment
And give it your best.
Don’t let tomorrow
Make you rush through today,
Or too many great moments
Will just go to waste.
And the person you’re with,
In that moment you share,
Give them all of your focus;
Be totally there.
Laugh till it hurts,
Let the tears drop.
Fill up each moment
With all that you’ve got.
Don’t miss the details;
The lesson is there.
Don’t get complacent;
Stay sharp and aware.
It can take but a moment
To change your life’s path.
And once it ticks by,
There is no going back.
In just 60 seconds,
You may make a new friend.
Find your true love,
Or see a life start or end.
You become who you are
In those moments you live.
And the growth’s not in taking
But in how much you give.
Life is just moments,
So precious and few.
Whether valued or squandered,
It’s all up to you!
5. “This is enough”
Me and this morning,
The waking sun,
The sleeping world—
I begin to wonder
How I ever believed that this was not
Enough.
Sitting here,
Just the earth and all its glory
And the sun shining on me.
I am content here,
Soaking up the warm earthy energy.
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
6. “Being Present on an Early Spring Morning”
when you hear birds sing
in springtime morning sunshine
your soul rejoices
and dances in holy celebration
give in, celebrate, be filled
with laughter, happiness, peace
close your eyes, sit without expectation
receive what is freely given
now, pass it on
give to someone you meet
this unexpected gift of peace
in so doing, you are filled once again
7. “Mindfulness”
The bells chime and I close my eyes
My beginner’s-mind is swirling like the twisted roots of an old tree
I practice and practice
Still no relief from the constant chatter within
Awareness hits me like a crashing wave
I start to trust the process
I begin to have patience; I can calm the mind
I am open to acceptance
Like the warm sun peeking out from behind the clouds
A mindful walk, I stop and feel the gentle breeze as it carries away the guilty thoughts… letting go, letting be
A seed is planted in my soul
Excited to watch it grow and bloom
I am grateful for the teachings of this mindful practice
The bells chime and I open my eyes
My kind, non-judging spirit has awakened.
8. “A Mindful Journey Home”
I am so thankful for this mindful practice
I am home
A home I sometimes leave but always come back to
A home that opens my heart and soul
A home that awakens a place deep inside of me
A home that I am grateful to have found
A beautiful surprise
A gentle reminder to accept myself just as I am.
9. “The Sun”
Shines so brightly
Close your eyes
Inhale its energy and let it melt into your soul
Feel the healing force as it seeps into every part of your being
Nourishing, loving, peaceful
Listen to it, speak to it, cherish it, be kind to it and
It will always shine brightly within you.
10. “The Guest House”
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
– Rumi
11. “Changing the Past by Donna”
The past is the past for a reason.
That is where it is supposed to stay,
But some cannot let it go.
In their heads it eats away
Until all their focus becomes
The person they used to be,
The mistakes they made in their life.
Oh, if only they could see
That you cannot change what happened,
No matter how hard you try,
No matter how much you think about it,
No matter how much you cry.
What happens in your lifetime
Happens for reasons unknown,
So you have to let the cards unfold.
Let your story be shown.
Don’t get wrapped up in the negative.
Be happy with what you have been given.
Live for today not tomorrow.
Get up, get out, and start living,
Because the past is the past for a reason.
It’s been, and now it is gone,
So stop trying to think of ways to fix it.
It’s done, it’s unchangeable; move on.
12. “A Simple Plan”
Simple Sam was a simple man.
He lived each day by a simple plan.
Enjoy your life and live while you can.
Make each day count and take a stand.
Stand on the left or stand on the right,
Whichever one you think is right.
Live each day as if your last.
Life’s too short and gone too fast.
– Irwin Mercer
13. “Every Day’s a Little Year”
Every day’s a little year,
Keep it new and full of cheer,
Keep it glad in any weather,
So, by adding days together—
All the whole big year is true—
Full of cheer and shining new!
– Annette Wynne
14. “Wild Geese”
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
– Mary Oliver
15. “The Peace of Wild Things”
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
– Wendell Berry
16. “The Gift of the Present Moment”
When the past comes back to haunt you
And the future lurks to taunt you
Remember the gift of the Now
with its timelessness preciousness
The sweet surrender to what is
to what was and what will be
Knowing that despite past regrets and future fears
there is a peace and trust in letting go
No need to dwell on the past
or control the outcome of the future
There is freedom and release in the present
and the gift it’s presence brings
17. “Being Present”
Being present means I’m not mentally labeling
Creating inner space and stillness, a being’s haven
Being present means I’m not feeling emotionally drained
Creating inner space and stillness, more and more gained
Being present means I’m not waiting to react
Creating inner space and stillness, a being’s habitat
Being present means I’m not clinging to the past
Creating inner space and stillness, it is so vast
Being present means I’m not worrying about the future
Creating inner space and stillness, and this I will nurture
Being present means I’m not compulsive thinking
Creating inner space and stillness, to God I am linking
Being present means I’m not judging what others think, say or do
Creating inner space and stillness, a being’s point of view
Being present means I’m not resisting what is
Creating inner space and stillness, a native of this
Being present means I’m not attached to any kind of form
Creating inner space and stillness, a being’s norm
Being present means I’m alert and alive
Creating inner space and stillness, a being’s high five
Being present means I have the time for you
Creating inner space and stillness, and wholeness too
Being present means I enjoy what I do
Creating inner space and stillness, consciously too
Being present means I am consciously speaking, doing and acting
Creating inner space and stillness, of which there is no lacking
Being present means I am aligned to my purpose
Creating inner space and stillness, alive and alertness
Being present means I am at peace
Creating inner space and stillness, and flowing with ease
Being present means I accept its isness
Creating inner space and stillness, that is growing within us
Being present means I know there is no more important moment
Creating inner space and stillness, and feeling atonement
Being present means I’m connecting to a depth within
Creating inner space and stillness, for all to live in
Being present means there’s nowhere else I’d rather be
Creating inner space and stillness, and the power To Be
Plant your flower ……..
Being present means
I know there’s no more
Important moment
Than NOW
– Delores Wiltse
18. “Life”
Life is wonderful,
Life is unpredictable.
Life throws things at us every day.
It throws obstacles and opportunities;
It gives choices.
We cannot rehearse life;
We have to deal with things
As they present themselves.
The naked truth,
Regardless of rank or race,
Is that we have a deep,
Passionate love affair with life.
We protect, nurture and enjoy life.
Whether it’s a moment of joy
Or a moment of strife,
We do love life.
– Diana Stewart-Walker
19. “This is a daily reminder”
This is a daily reminder
To relax,
To not get angry over small things,
To stay calm.
This is a daily reminder
To be yourself,
To not care what people think,
To know you can be anything.
This is a daily reminder
To love yourself,
To not hurt yourself,
To not work yourself up.
This is a daily reminder
That you are beautiful,
That you are amazing,
That you will succeed.
This is a daily reminder
To always have hope,
To have faith,
To know everything will be okay.
This is a daily reminder
That you have made it so far already,
That you haven’t given up,
That whatever you’re doing is right,
And that you are going to be amazing.
Don’t give up.
Keep holding on and believing.
20. “Dance”
Open your heart to happiness.
Let every pore absorb light.
Swim in the joy of the here and now,
And cast off the darkness of night.
Walk in the summer of sunshine.
Fly in the blueness of sky.
Know possibilities are boundless.
Understand that nothing can die.
Step from the shadows of torment.
Sing ’til your throat gets too sore.
Smile for as long as the day is,
And laugh just a little bit more.
Breathe slowly and deeply and listen.
Give all your ideas a chance.
Let the sun beat down on your goodness,
And kick off your shoes and dance.
– Paul Hayward
21. Love After Love
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
– Derek Walcott
22. “Let Go”
Let go of the ways you thought life
would unfold; the holding of plans
or dreams or expectations – Let it
all go. Save your strength to swim
with the tide.The choice to fight what is here before
you now will only result in struggle,
fear, and desperate attempts to flee
from the very energy you long for.Let go. Let it all go and flow with the
grace that washes through your days
whether you receive it gently or
with all your quills raised to defend
against invaders.Take this on faith: the mind may never
find the explanations that it seeks, but
you will move forward nonetheless.Let go, and the wave’s crest will carry
you to unknown shores, beyond your
wildest dreams or destinations. Let it
all go and find the place of rest and
peace, and certain transformation.
– Danna Faulds
This post was all about 22 poems about mindfulness to help you be more present.
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