Many mindfulness meditations begin and end with the sounding of a bell. I don't believe, and many would agree, that there isn't anything magical about this. I use a bell mostly to serve as a marker for a period of formal meditation and also as a reminder to bring awareness and compassion to the present moment. Over time, the sound becomes associated with the experience of awareness in the present, and an attitude of compassion toward it. Not exactly what Pavlov and his dogs were going for, but for our purposes in practicing mindfulness, how very useful! Taking this quite a few steps further, what if other sensations could serve the same function as our mindfulness bells? What about standing up from our seat? Taking a first step in the morning? Unlocking our phones? Swiping our Metrocards? Taking a breath...
The idea here is not to strive toward constant mindful awareness of every waking moment. Rather, to investigate and explore how some experiences may shift when other common, everyday occurrences serve as a reminder to be present. Bells and cushions are great, though it might also be interesting to expand the landscape of where, when, and how mindfulness happens.