This is a blog from a brand new practitioner, and I really love the reasons that are given for wanting to practise. Modern life asks so much of our minds, mindfulness practice is a way of giving our mind a little rest, allowing it to process the massive amount of information it is deluged with. There are just a couple of points I would raise here: the blogger talks about ‘quieting’ the mind, and while a quieter mind might be the result of your practice, it shouldn’t be something that is sought after. The mind is the mind, to a large extent it does what it wants; it’s not always possible to quieten it. Also the blogger talks about focussing on the breath, while the breath is a wonderful anchor to the present moment, there are other anchors too. These are both misapprehensions that I had as I was beginning my practice. Find the regular blog here.
It seems as if life is always rushing by at a million miles an hour these days. We all know that we have so much on our plates–family, work, school, friends, exercise, errands, bills, deadlines, organizations, speeches, cooking, cleaning. The list is never ending.
Was it always this way? I can’t say for sure. Will it ever stop? Hm, I think not. So, what have we really done to ourselves?
It seems like we are all “pros” at multi-tasking (yay…). However, what’s really happening is that we are focusing on 800 activities at once, but not actually giving our full attention to any one thing. Just a quick glance through my work and personal emails gives me a queasy stomach at the mere thought of all that still needs to be finished. Over the years, I have become much more organized in the various aspects of my life, but I still feel like I’m always playing catch-up. The better I get at handling these responsibilities, the more that gets put on my plate. But such is life.
This is why mindfulness caught my eye so much. It has a very simple purpose: to refocus our attention and bring us to a deeper awareness of the present moment in which we live. I have found that this simple purpose is a very profound journey, though.
How It Is Done:
-You can simply sit in a quiet place, get comfortable and close your eyes
-There are guided meditations online or using relaxing instrumental music works fine as well
-Make sure your back is upright but not rigid
-Start with focusing on your in and out breaths. Try not to force them, but notice them as your body does so naturally
-Notice the sensations in your body and of your surroundings without trying to change anything. Just observe
-Quiet your mind
-When your mind wanders to future worries or past memories, gently bring it back to the present moment by refocusing on your breathing
– Stay still like this for at least 10 minutes
This is a great way to train your focus and let go of any feelings not in the present moment (which is really the only moment there is). It all sounds easy enough, right? Actually, it can be extremely difficult because this is such a foreign concept to us. Our mind can seem like an untamable creature if left on its own. We have so much going on, so many worries, so many thoughts. It’s hard to sort through all that. It is frustrating when you are in the middle of a meditation and your mind won’t stop racing no matter what you do.
But this is the process. It is training for your mind. It’s not supposed to be easy right off the bat, but I think it’s worth it. In this day and age, if we don’t have control of our own mind, other things like media, companies, governments, shows, and advertisements, will. This is a really unique tool that we can use to become more peaceful and present in our everyday lives.
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Thanks so much for the feature! I really appreciate the feedback you’ve given. It’s a totally new adventure for me. It is not so popular in my area yet and I’m largely discovering mindfulness alone, even though people are supportive.
I definitely have realized that my mind is in no way ‘quiet’ so I have to become more accepting of that and continue on in my practice.
Thanks very inferesting blog!
At this moment I am going to do my breakfast, afterward having my breakfast coming
yet again to read more news.