Mindful Practice 6

Mindfulness is the process of being in the present moment without judging.  The wandering mind is one of the major obstacles to mindfulness.  It is not the nature of the mind to stay in the present moment.  

Judging is the other major obstacle to mindfulness.  "I need to judge in order to compare myself with others so I can stay on top of things - be better - feel superior - look good."  In mindfulness, judging means comparing others to yourself or with someone else.  "Have you seen all of the junk piled up in their house?  I don't see how they can live like that.  I could never let my house be so messy."  "Look at her, she is as big as an elephant.  Doesn't she have any pride in herself?  What a slob."

So, in order to be mindful lay aside the wandering and judging mind.  Although it takes practice and effort to be mindful it is well worth the effort. The practice described below takes only a few minutes.  Do it once a week and a new groove will be layed down in your brain allowing you to get out of the old way of negative thinking.

Go to a mall, any mall, it doesn't make it difference, they are all basically the same.  Go where there is a lot of traffic.  Have a seat on one of the benches or chairs that are usually provided at an intersection where people are coming in and out of stores. Watch people as they pass by.  The task in this practice is to sit for 15 minutes and observe people walking by.  Stay in the moment and don't let your mind wander into the past or the future or into negative thoughts. 

As you watch try not to be judgmental.  If you find yourself thinking: needs, must, got to, should, too, has to, or ought; go back to observing without judging.

For example, if you think: "he needs a hair cut," "she must lose weight", "he has got to get a better pair of shoes", "she should go on a diet", "he is too skinny", "he has to help that child", "I ought to stop thinking this way", "I should be as pretty has she is;" then bring your mind back to observing - not judging.

So, the next time you visit a mall try this exercise.  It is a worthwhile practice that will prove beneficial to your mind, body, and soul.  Most of all, have fun doing it. 

Mindfulness Practice 5

We don't often equate mindfulness with sleeping but the role of being mindful to your breathing, your body, and mind play a crucial role in getting to sleep and staying there.  When you go to bed have you ever experienced the mind becoming more active with thoughts popping in and out?  If you have, it's because the energy from your motionless body begins to move into your brain. The brain becomes stimulated by the extra energy and begins thinking of things you haven't thought much of during the day.

When you get in bed become mindful of your body.  Start by being aware of your head on the pillow and other parts of your body touching the bed.  Notice any thoughts that happen to come up.  Allow yourself to relax with those thoughts and begin focusing on your breathing.  As you focus on your breathing become mindful of the movement of your chest and belly.  Notice the rhythmic movement of your body with the rhythmic flow of air in and out, in and out.  As thoughts appear, simply let them be and don't try to force them away.  Come back to the subtle movements of your belly and chest and the rhythm of your breathing.

Let you awareness expand out into the room becoming sensitive to the darkness, the temperature, sounds, and smells.  You might notice subtle sounds and vibrations inside your body coming from your stomach and your heart.  Become mindful of everything inside and outside of you.  Once you are tuned into being mindful of all these things, say silently to yourself,  "I will be mindful of my dreams."  Repeat the phrase as often as you like focusing on the word "mindful." 

When you wake up in the morning see if you can remember any of your dreams.  You might be in for a surprise.
 

Mindfulness Practice 4

Interpersonal communication involves social interactions between two or more people.   It is a way we humans exchange ideas, opinions, concepts, feelings, beliefs, etc.  We not only  undertake the activity through dialogue but also through facial expressions and body movements.  The slightest change in voice tone and volume, facial expression and hand gestures can change the perception of a person's intent and message.  To understand completely what the other person is communicating to us we must be fully aware and in the moment. 

When carrying on a conversation have you ever found yourself thinking about what you are going to say next?  Or have you ever been interrupted by someone who couldn't wait for you to finish what you were saying?  Or while someone is talking to you have you ever thought to yourself, "She/he has a funny nose, is too fat, has a weird voice, has a droopy eye," etc.?  If you have, you are not alone. Most people have experienced these moments of communication breakdowns.  The breakdown is usually due to lack of receptive listening and sense of self on one or both sides of the isle.  

The practice of mindful listening involves receptive listening along with an innate sense of self.  Receptive listening is the ability to stay focused.  Sense of self is the ability to know who you are.  The first one is not difficult to understand.  Staying focused means not allowing your attention and thoughts to wander.  The second is a little more difficult to understand. 

Your self is that person you call "I" and "Me."  To know your self requires fully understanding why you do what you do.  There have been volumes written on the subject but in short the self is all your values and feelings.  The self is what makes up the total package of you.  It's what makes you "tick."  And most of all it includes that thing called the ego.  I discuss in detail how you can figure out your self in You Can Develop Pure Awareness.  I'm not touting my book necessarily but just saying if you want to look a little deeper into your psyche you can find out how in the book.  By the way, it's only 99 cents on e-book. 

So, if you stay focused on the person you are conversing with and you know the essence of your being (the self), you will pick up many subtle nuances that you have been missing all these years.  You will get more out of the conversation and learn things you never knew existed about the person as well as yourself.   

Mindful Practice 3

If you ride a bicycle you might find this exercise quite refreshing.  And it may even open a new frontier for you in biking.

 Riding a bicycle while being mindful is a much safer way of biking.  Not being mindful while biking is dangerous! I bike every week and often see other bikers on the road listening to their ipods or riding side-by-side talking to one another. Needless to say, these are not the safest ways to bike.

If you ride a bicycle you might want to begin practicing mindful biking the next time you go for a ride.  Share this mindful practice with other bikers.

While biking, see the road passing under you like a ribbon and then go immediately to the feeling of the road by becoming aware of your buttocks on the bike seat and your hands on the handle bars.  Notice how the road vibrations travel all the way through your body giving you a sense that you, the bike, and the road are one.  Broaden your awareness to the sound of the wind in your ears and everything that surrounds your very being.  At this point you might have the feeling of greater clarity, vitality,and freedom.  It doesn't take long under these circumstances to go from being lost in thought to total awareness.

While holding all of these sensations in your awareness bring your attention to your breathing.  Allow your legs and breathing to flow in unison. Visualize energy coming from the earth, up through your body and out the top of your head like wind blowing through a tunnel.  You are now mindfully biking - fully aware of your body and the environment, in the moment, without judging.  You are as free as the wind moving over Mother Earth.  It is a magnificent feeling!

Practicing mindfulness while biking brings a greater sense of joy in biking and appreciation for being alive.  It will open new frontiers in what the sport has to offer and it will broaden your prospective on yourself and your capabilities.

Mindfulness Practice 2

"Why is it when I am fatigued it's hard to stay in the moment?" questioned my friend as we were driving to lunch.  "Because when you are fatigued it takes energy to stay in the moment," I said, as my friend settled back in the car seat, "but it takes practically no energy to be in waking sleep and absorption.  So, when a person is tired it is much easier to drop back into these two lower states of consciousness."

"Learning to stay in the moment requires practice.  It is much easier to be in waking sleep, walking along and letting the mind wander, or in absorption, totally immersed in an event or some activity. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance and that path is waking sleep and absorption.  But staying in the moment requires practice and effort.  In other words, it takes energy to stay in the moment," I said.  "I see what you mean," he replied.

You can discover your own energy potential by doing mindful walking:

Go for a little walk outside, for five or ten minutes, or you can walk around inside.  While you are walking, be alert and open to everything and anything that happens to be in your field of awareness.  You may notice smells, various sounds, sights, and even vibrations and feelings inside your body.  Be open to how your body moves, arms and legs are swinging, air coming in and out of your lungs.  As you walk be aware of how it feels as your feet touch the ground heal to toe, heal to toe.  Be aware of textures, colors, contours, and shadows.

This is walking with mindfulness -walking with full intention of being in the moment.  Walking this way requires effort because it is a new way of walking.  If you have never done this kind of walking before you might find your mind wandering from one thought to another.  That's okay because the natural tendency is for everybody's mind to wander the first time they attempt mindful walking.  

Congratulate yourself for doing this walking exercise.  It is not an easy practice because it requires energy.  But the more you do it, the easier it becomes because a new neural pathway is building each time you practice it.  The old waking sleep and absorption paths will be replaced by a new and improved mindful path.

Mindfulness Practice 1

As you probably know already, mindfulness is the ability to be in the moment without judging.  Simply said but not easily accomplished.  So, with that said, here is the first practice of mindfulness you can try when you get around to it:

While you are working on the computer, emailing a friend, reading your email, or whatever you are doing on the computer; notice the images, words, and colors on the screen. Feel your body in the chair.  Allow awareness to go to your hands on the keyboard and your feet on the floor.  Notice your breathing.  Let your awareness expand beyond the screen to sounds around you, perhaps light coming into the room, emotions you may be feeling this very moment, and possibly even staying in the moment with thoughts of the past and the future.  Yes, you can have thoughts of the past and the future and still be mindful as long as you know you are having those thoughts right now in the moment.

See how long you can stay in this state of mindfulness before drifting off into waking sleep or absorption.  Waking sleep is when your body is doing one thing and your mind is doing something else, such as typing on the keyboard while thinking of what you will be doing tomorrow.  Absorption is when you become so engrossed in a project or event you become unaware of things in and around you.

Good luck with mindfulness.

Without A Doubt

Be as free as light
that bounces here and there,
and free as night
that creeps slowly in.

There was never a time
when you weren't here,
and never a time
when you weren't there.

Be as free as the wind
that blows o'er the sea,
and free as the waves
that lead the way.

There is always a place
for you to go,
and always a place
where you can stay.

Remember this
as you go about,
for it is always with you
without a doubt.