Month: March 2016
Mindfulness
MINDFULNESS – A CATCH PHRASE OR ……..
Mindfulness, the ability to be focused on the present moment and not being ‘distracted’ by events from your past or possible events from your future.
This week a colleague at work sent this article to me, which I thought was worth sharing. Whether you believe or not meditation is here to stay. In fact it has always been there. It is the Western world that has now discovered this PHENOMENEN. In this age of fast paced life, time poor people, impersonal interaction and KPI’s it is time, to reevaluate. I will leave you to make your mind up.
David Beard
While some people are able ‘be present’ others find their mind is constantly ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. If that’s you, then teaching yourself to be more mindful is a valuable thing to learn. However, like exercise, it does take some practice and getting into the habit of regular mindfulness meditation.
Meditation is a systematic method of focusing your attention on something that is happening right now.
Some types of meditation primarily involve directed concentration–repeating a phrase or focusing on the sensation of breathing. In the process, allowing the parade of thoughts that inevitably arise to come and go. Concentration meditation techniques, as well as other activities such as tai chi or yoga, can induce the well-known relaxation response, which is very valuable in reducing the body’s response to stress.
Mindfulness meditation builds upon concentration practices. In mindfulness meditation, once you establish concentration, you observe the flow of inner thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judging them as good or bad. You also notice external sensations such as sounds, sights, and touch that make up your moment-to-moment experience.
The challenge is not to grab hold of a particular idea, emotion, or sensation, or to get caught in thinking about the past or the future. Instead, you watch what comes and goes in your mind, and discover which mental habits produce a feeling of well-being or discomfort. At times, this process may not seem relaxing at all, but over time it provides a key to greater happiness and self-awareness as you become comfortable with a wider range of your experiences.
Above all, mindfulness practice involves accepting whatever arises in your awareness at each moment. It also involves being kind and forgiving toward yourself. If your mind wanders into planning, daydream, or criticism, notice where it has gone and gently redirect it to sensations in the present. By practicing accepting your experience during meditation, it becomes easier to accept whatever comes your way during the rest of your day.
In addition to formal meditation, you can also increase your mindfulness informally by focusing your attention on your moment-to-moment sensations during everyday activities. This is done by single-tasking–doing one thing at a time and giving it your full attention. For the next week, try doing this each time you clean your teeth.
Happy cleaning.
David
I think it is worth a try. Can I retrain my brain, find calmness? IM NOT SURE!
“S + E = O”
Funny isn’t life. What is so familiar can be so alien, what should be automatic is incredibly hard labour. Things to consider, the relevance of the situation, the part of the experience, the outcome of them. S + E = O
The old dog, prostrate on the floor, the even older cat never from away. I see a bag of goodies and a box of odds and ends on the floor under the table. Relics from 2 years ago. A lifetime ago, of other experiences. A time when things would have been more acceptable, but no I have lived a frugal existence for 2 years, lived in other peoples houses, lived with their memories; the family photos looking down at me, but not my own family. Where once a riot of colour, now a dry, dead garden, overgrown, the balance no longer there. The delicate now hidden by the over exuberant weeds.
Situation – a past life, a life no longer mine
Experience – an opportunity to revisit this life.
Outcome – Disappointment – anticipation is superior to realisation.
Conclusion – you can never totally return to the past, you may visit for a moment, but what is gone is no longer there. No matter how hard you may wish it were different.
As I walk a delicate tightrope of awareness, trying to build bridges, it only took on external influence, 5 minutes to pull the carpet out from the shaky foundations. There is not a lot that can be done. I can not stop what is said, I can only hope that the people who listen have the intelligence to dismiss what is ultimately not fact but willful fiction.
magenta.in.may 