Thursday, November 7, 2013

Know What You're Doing When You're Doing It

I've been working at cultivating an environment where mindfulness is possible.

And then something happens.  I forget everything I've practiced.

And I rehearse and rehash and go chasing after thoughts and before you know it, it's 1978 and I'm standing in an Iowa cornfield on a cloudy summer day.

We can choose which thoughts we want to think.

Sometimes, I expect, I will have to "re-mind" myself of all this training.  To remember to cling to nothing.  To remember to fire the constant critic who is always inside, busy at work.

Mindfulness is a kind, nonjudgmental approach to what is happening.  It is like a mirror that simply reflects whatever comes before it.  Mindfulness keeps us connected to the people around us so that we notice them in the middle of our busy lives.  It is a gift I can give myself (it helps with stress, health, relationships and general well-being).

On mindfulness, some wise person noted:  It's not difficult to be mindful, but it IS difficult to remember to be mindful.

One of the easy ways to clear the head and be in the present moment is to move your attention to your body, to focus on your senses.  Our senses only exist in the present moment.

Namaste.


1 comment:

  1. "We can choose which thoughts we want to think". I LOVE this.

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