Freeform Focus

Being Mindful of Being Mindful

  

Most of us are aware of the benefits of meditation: decreased stress and tension, increased concentration and clarity, increased sense of well-being and harmony. The list goes on and on; the benefits of a consistent mediation practice are too numerous to list here.

But, for some reason, incorporating a few minutes of disciplined sitting into our lives every day seems to be an elusive task for many of us. So, we end up ditching the whole idea, throwing out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak.

Be mindful during the day

Another way to reap many of the benefits of a sitting practice is to simply meditate on the go, while you're doing your day, while you're living your life. Simply be mindful; that is, simply give your attention to whatever it is you are doing, whenever it is you are doing it.

When you're drinking your coffee, be aware that you are drinking your coffee. Feel the taste, the texture of the coffee, the feeling of the mug in your hands. When you're washing the dishes, feel the water, look at the suds, drop into the feeling of your Now experience. When you find yourself breathing, feel the sensation of the inhales, the feeling of being filled, the expansion…and feel the sensation of the exhales, the feeling of emptying out, the gentle contraction.

Calm Lake

Remember to remember

Somehow, with the busy-ness of our lives, even simple mindfulness somehow becomes difficult to do. Rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater again, do whatever it takes to remember to remember to pay attention.

I have my watch set on a repeating 10-minute timer. The timer goes off and it reminds me to breathe and relax, pay attention to what's going on right now. So at least six times an hour, I'm pausing and tuning in, which is vastly more than I'd be doing on my own volition. In the course of, say, a 10-hour day, I'm pausing 60 times! 60 is quite a bit more than one…or none. I still have my regular sitting practice, but the benefits of my 10-minute timer have been incredible. I keep the meditation going throughout the day.

How about a "Mindful Clock" you can download for your computer that will ring a bell at your set time interval? Give it a try!


Previous Free Form Focus Articles:
    Cultivating Compassion
     Laughing Pranayama