Hello,
My name is Sean and this is a meditation on doing less.
It is easy to get caught up in the current of the doing mind.
Our need to do and accomplish overtakes us,
And our lives quickly become defined by tasks,
Checklists,
And constant grinding.
This isn't any fault of our own,
But rather a symptom of a society that functions on the idea that a life of constant doing is good,
While one of not doing is bad.
We've been misguided by the belief that busyness is a valued strength,
And that if we are not busy,
We are lazy.
The truth is,
Busyness is often an act of disassociation.
We often use busyness as a way to deflect or disregard the life that is here right now,
Instead of slowing down to be present with whatever is here.
Busyness is also a gateway to burnout,
Chronic stress,
And anxiety.
We often think that by staying busy,
We are living,
But ironically,
The busier we are,
The less we actually seem to live.
I mean this in the expression of living fully,
Of being with whatever is here and experiencing it in completeness.
It is when we finally slow down that we come to realize that busyness is not a glamorous act but rather one that robs us of living the life that is here right now,
And that by doing less,
We actually seem to live more.
We experience more joy,
More fulfillment,
More presence,
More connection,
More peace.
Simply put,
By doing less,
We live more.
Now allow yourself to find a comfortable position for practice.
Maybe you're seated in a chair or on a cushion,
Or maybe you're lying down.
If seated,
Just allow yourself to sit up tall,
Stacking ears over shoulders,
Shoulders over hips,
Bringing a slight tuck to your chin to elongate the neck,
Allowing your hands to rest comfortably in your lap,
And allowing your eyes to softly close,
Or if it's comfortable,
To leave them open with a soft and steady gaze about four to six feet in front of you.
And let's start off by dropping into the body.
So simply noticing what it's like to be in your body right now.
Noticing the space of your body,
The weight of your body,
Sensing the space around your body,
Becoming aware of the temperature of air on your skin or texture of clothing on your skin,
Noticing the surface beneath you holding you up,
And the points of pressure where your body meets the surface,
And noticing any thoughts of needing to do something special or to feel something special in the body.
And if there are any thoughts like this,
Just allowing yourself to notice them,
And then bringing your attention back to your sensations of body,
Allowing the face to soften and relax,
And then hinging the jaw,
Softening the eyes,
Allowing the shoulders to soften and to soften across the chest,
And then allowing your next breath to find the softening belly.
And as you breathe,
Come to place your attention on your breath,
Allowing the breath to flow as it naturally is.
Let this be a soft and kind attention,
Gently resting on the experience of your breath.
Maybe noticing the breath at your nostrils or subtle movements of chest with the rise and fall of your belly,
Choosing one place and allowing your attention to rest there.
And noticing any desire to get it right,
To make something special happen with the breath,
Or to have some special experience.
If any thoughts like this arise,
Simply notice them and return your attention back to the flow of your breath.
And just as we get lost in the busyness of our day to day,
You may find the moment where you yourself are caught up in the busyness of thoughts.
If this happens,
Know that this is the energy of the doing mind.
Allow yourself to let go of the thoughts and soften back into your breath.
Once again,
Placing a kind and gentle attention on the flow of your breath.
Considering that there is nothing to achieve here,
There is nothing you need to do.
Your body is breathing and you are being with your breath.
And as you breathe,
Allow yourself to bring to mind an area in your life that could use the space of doing less.
Or maybe it's work tasks or being present with loved ones or enjoying a meal or achieving success or maybe it's simply doing nothing at all.
And if nothing arises,
That is okay.
Continue to be with your breath,
Knowing that this act alone is one of doing less.
And if something did come to mind,
Can you allow yourself to hold it in compassion,
Knowing that you do not mean to be caught in busyness,
Knowing that busyness was taught to you and that it is a safety response and an active habit and knowing that it can be changed.
Now allow yourself to imagine what doing less might look like.
Maybe it's scheduling time for non-doing,
Focusing on one task at a time or removing unnecessary distractions.
Imagine what it would feel like to do less.
Maybe there's more joy or deeper connection to the people around you or the world around you.
Maybe there's greater creativity or an overall feeling of peace.
And also notice any stories of doubt or apprehension that may arise.
Any stories do come up,
Allow yourself to notice them without being caught up in them and then return back to the contemplation of doing less.
And as you continue to breathe in this space of doing less,
Maybe you repeat the following affirmation silently.
When I do less,
I make more space for what matters most.
When I do less,
I make more space for what matters most.
When I do less,
I make more space for what matters most.
Allowing yourself to return back to the sensation of your breathing.
Imagine bringing your attention to the body,
Noticing the space of your body and the space around your body.
And when you are ready in your own time,
Allowing your eyes to open,
Bringing yourself back into the rest of your day and taking forward your intention to do less and live more.
