The Magic Of DOING What You Are Doing! (2)

 By Kate Mathers   www.magicofallowing.com

Some more ‘spot meditations’, this time oriented to those that may be as relevant for men as for women. ‘Spot’ or ‘Mini-Mindfulness’ Meditations work to defuse tension on the spot by bringing you right into the present. Note that they all involve tuning in to the world of the senses and allowing yourself to really notice what you are doing while you are doing it!

Tuning in to the present moment this way can rejuvenate soul, mind and body in seconds. The power of the present moment cannot be overestimated.

 TRY: doing a mini-mindfulness or spot meditation when you clean your teeth each morning: mindfully note how your arm and hand reaches for your toothbrush, how the brush feels in your hand, the texture and shape and colour of it; and do the same with the toothpaste tube and its contents; observe the colours and design on the tube, the way it yields its contents as you squeeze the paste out of the tube, and the minty aroma; notice the sensation of the brush and the paste once in your mouth; is there a zinging sensation? Enjoy it. Check to make sure you are not already holding unnecessary tension in

your body by gripping hard onto the toothbrush as you clean? Appreciate and give thanks for the fact that you have both water and toothpaste etc to use each day, and how good it feels to clean your teeth first thing in the morning! (More than 1 billion people around the world can’t access clean drinking water, while more than 2 million people die from drinking contaminated water every year.)

Start your day off by experiencing yourself in each moment like this, experiencing yourself as a human BEING, rather than a human ‘DOING’. Most often, we are the latter, performing one mindless activity after another at this time of day including getting dressed, eating breakfast, travelling to work…etc. You will not only enrich your life beyond words, but it will give you a head start for the rest of your day to remain calm, unstressed and relaxed. It’s like putting savings into your wellbeing account.

TRY: taking a conscious break at work , and drink a glass of water as an act of mindful meditation. Even the act of going to get it, done consciously, and with awareness in the present moment, will begin to reduce tension and rejuvenate you. So, be aware of how you get up from your chair, how you move, if you need to stretch and what that feels like in your body. Observe how your body feels as you walk to fetch the glass of water. How do your feet feel in contact with the floor? Are you fully supported by the floor? Or are you actually holding part of your body ‘up’ as you walk along, and not allowing the floor to take your complete weight? It’s surprising how often this is the case.  Be aware of how your arm reaches out to hold the glass or container………. what does the water sound like as it fills the cup? ………….  how does the container feel against your hand? ……… is it cold? is it neutral? ……….. consciously decide where you would like to be when you begin to drink the water……….. feel the touch of the glass or plastic cup against your lips…………. feel the taste and sensation of the water once it is in your mouth……….. as you swallow ……………. taste each sip slowly and mindfully …………. ……… and when it is finished, be aware of the movement of your body/arm as you move to place the empty container in the bin………. be aware of the noise it makes when it falls …………. and return to your work refreshed and rebalanced.

You can make your conscious break anything you like, for example making a cup of coffee, or eating some fruit etc. If you are going to eat a piece of fruit, then make sure you are really DOING what you are doing, each moment of the way. Focus completely on the task in hand. Feel the pleasing texture and shape of, say, an apple when it is in your hand; observe the vibrant red/green colour; and really experience the sensation of biting into it, hearing and feeling the crispness and crunch as you do so; observe the difference in the texture and colour of the apple skin compared to the flesh inside. When you reach the core, appreciate the seeds, in the knowledge that Nature’s perfect mechanisms ensure there is always an apple for you to eat during a break from work. Or in the case of a banana, stop and notice the shape and colour, and the aroma of the outer skin, before you mindlessly peel away and eat. Be aware of the ease (or not) with which the outer skin peels away from the sweet, paler flesh inside, and enjoy the sensation of taking a bite and fully savouring the luscious taste and texture of it once inside your mouth; continue to eat mindfully, in the present moment, appreciating every step of the way.

You will discover that the magic of being completely in the present moment makes a break of only a few minutes as powerful, say, as a break of, an hour of mindless activity. You can return to your desk or your work refreshed, with you mind and body alert and recharged.

TRY: Walking as an act of meditation. You can walk with the intention of staying in the present. In practice, this means you consciously focus for a few seconds on whatever sense data catches your mind. You stay with it until something else engages your focus. It could be the feel of your footsteps as they connect with the ground you are walking on; or it could the sound of distant traffic; or, if you are outside, the feel of the wind on your face; or the smell of the grass or the trees; the way your body feels as you move; the feeling of your breathing; or the sight and sound of birds in the sky….. Stay with each sensation for long enough to really enjoy it – at least 10 seconds, and preferably more. If you skim and don’t retain your focus as described, you will find the mind is likely to get distracted and will entertain other thoughts as well………and you’ll bypass the rejuvenating power and intensity of living in the moment.  You don’t have to be walking outside to reap the benefit of walking mindfully: you can do this just as effectively walking from one office to another, or walking to the lift and moving from one floor to another. Simply stay with each movement with as much awareness as you can, noting how your body feels - each limb, and then from top to bottom - and absorb every detail of your surroundings as you pass by – the sounds, the textures, the shapes, the aromas, etc. Each time you bring yourself back into the present moment, you are putting savings into your wellbeing account.

For more on the topic of walking meditation,  see http://www.lifedivine.net/go/meditation/mt/

While stuck in traffic………

When put on ‘hold’ during a frustrating phone call……..

Waiting in your doctor’s waiting room………

When someone says something which bothers you…….

Digging in the garden…………

At red lights………………..

Waiting for a phone call……………..

In the dentist’s chair…………….

When you feel overwhelmed by what you need to accomplish…………..

While standing in line ………………….

When in pain………………..

When in a long meeting

THE ONLY TIME THAT ‘SPOT’ MEDITATIONS’ OR ‘MINIS’ DO NOT WORK IS WHEN YOU FORGET TO DO THEM!

by Kate Mathers    http://www.magicofallowing.com

 

“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more 

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