Journey into Mindfulness

by | Motivational Mondays

Becoming More Mindful

Mindfulness… What’s that mean anyway?

Last week I became mindfully aware of how distracted I am most of the time. I know I’m not alone as I see other people walking down the sidewalk on their smart phones, talking on the phone while driving or watching TV while eating. Yep, we’re a nation of multitaskers.

I’ll go ahead and confess that I rarely sit at a table to eat. I am usually at the desk, on the sofa either listening to vinyls or watching TV or driving to the next adventure. I’m not proud of this, but I think you y’all should know that I’m starting from ground zero on this whole mindfulness thing and I’d like to take you on the journey with me.

My first step to becoming more mindful is to notice when I’m not being mindful. Sometimes I joke with my roommate “I am mindfully aware that this is not very mindful.”

The next step is to practice meditation daily. I lay down at the end of the day and bring my attention to my breath. So far I’m at 5-10 minutes and it’s a struggle! Luckily, last week while reading Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh (thanks for the recommendation, Jeremy!) I found a wonderful mantra I’d like to share:

Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breaking out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment! 

Food for thought:

I offer the thought that the practice of slowing down to focus on the breath can create a sense of calm and peace in the mind and body.

By slowing down our thoughts we can become present in the here and now. This in turn frees us from the constant worry about the future or sorrows of the past. What’s the harm in trying?

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