Dear friends,
Welcome to this reflection which is designed to encourage you to begin the practice of mindfulness and to start again if you happen to fail,
Remembering that we all fail from time to time.
Before our opening bell,
A definition of mindfulness.
This comes from the well-known and much-loved meditation teacher John Kabat-Zinn.
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way,
On purpose,
In the present moment and non-judgmentally.
John says,
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way,
On purpose,
In the present moment and non-judgmentally.
So now let's try a little mindfulness.
We begin by trying to make sure that we are comfortable.
It's recommended that you place your feet firmly on the ground.
It helps if you try to keep your back straight,
Not rigid,
A sort of dignified and alert sitting you might call it.
You might like to close your eyes or you might simply prefer to look down,
Whatever suits.
And if you're new to the practice,
Don't let these preliminaries cause you any worry or stress.
This is just a simple exercise in mindfulness and it's intended to be easy.
Relaxation is one of its benefits,
So the exercise involves relaxing and enjoying the practice.
You can't get it wrong really.
Awareness of our breathing is a useful starting point,
Because if we can become aware of our breathing,
We can bring ourselves back to the present moment anywhere and anytime.
Remember we are only ever one breath away from this present moment.
So as you breathe in,
Say quietly to yourself,
I am aware that I am breathing in,
Because we are so often unaware.
And in the same way as you breathe out,
Say to yourself,
Breathing out,
I am aware that I am breathing out.
So now see if you can focus on your breath for a little while.
The next period of quiet is designed to let you practice the art of mindful breathing.
Welcome back.
So how did that feel?
Did you begin to think of jobs to be done?
Did worries about the past come to mind?
Did you begin to have concerns about the future?
That can happen to any of us,
But don't worry.
Don't pay any special attention if these thoughts cross your mind.
Just simply draw yourself back and concentrate on the breathing.
Breathing in,
I am aware that I am breathing in.
And breathing out,
I am aware that I am breathing out.
A second method is awareness of sound.
Simply stop and notice the sounds around you,
The near sounds and then the more distant sounds.
But try not to let the sounds send you off on a train of thought.
Just hear the sound,
Don't even name it.
Let it in as a simple sound,
Going in one ear and out the other.
Just experience the sound.
Let's have another pause to let you try this one.
Another method,
And you can try any of these that you find helpful.
You are not confined to anyone,
Just see what suits you at the particular time when you sit down.
In this next case,
Just notice your body.
Do you notice your feet touching the floor?
Notice the feeling of the chair under you?
Notice your back resting against the chair?
And again,
Just notice,
No judging.
Do you feel any discomfort?
Just notice the discomfort and don't get involved right now in thinking about a solution.
That can come later.
We have another pause to allow you to concentrate on the body and how each part of it feels just now.
Another method is to concentrate on looking at an image or an object.
This could be a candle,
It could be smoke rising from a stick of incense,
It might be an image of the Buddha or Jesus or some other inspirational figure,
It could be the photograph of a loved one.
Select your object now and let's see if you can concentrate thoughts on it for a few moments.
These different methods all have the same purpose.
To practice focusing on what is going on rather than running some commentary on it in our own heads.
To practice staying in the now and not worrying about the past,
Not worrying about the future.
It's a good exercise for life and it helps us to really listen to people rather than writing them off as already known and probably misunderstood.
So,
A summary.
Mindfulness is a training and any more than playing a musical instrument it does not come naturally without practice.
We don't expect to play the piano after the first few sittings.
It takes practice and so does meditation.
Ideally that practice,
Whether it's piano or some other instrument or meditation,
Should be daily for however short a time.
If you are learning to play the piano it is said that 10 minutes a day is better than one hour once a week.
And it's the same with meditation.
It helps if you can set a regular time and a regular place.
That makes it easier to develop a regular habit.
And a period of quiet and reflection at the start of a day are particularly beneficial in preparing for the bumps and the obstacles which will inevitably be met along the way.
You will find that there are days when the practice is missed.
But don't beat yourself up if that happens.
It happens to us all.
Just begin again.
Pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off and begin again.
You will see that it is worthwhile and you'll see this after a very little while.
A day that begins with a period of meditation is going to be a much more successful day.
A Closing Cut Mindfulness is not something you have to try to fit in to an already busy life.
Mindfulness just means being more aware of life as it is lived.
You mindfully brush your teeth.
You mindfully drink your tea or coffee or water.
Mindfully have a telephone conversation.
None of us will live a mindful life on day one or on day 101.
But bit by bit,
Adding mindfulness to different activities,
We can become more mindful,
More present.
And the world will be a better place because we try to do this.
So,
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be free from all harm.
May you bring happiness and peace to the people you meet day by day.
Namaste.
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