Living Mindfully
Normally I race around multitasking. I am always thinking about a million things while I try and do at least two activities at once. More and more I forget what two things I'm doing and I often feel guilt that I'm not doing either terribly well. This certainly is the lament of every working mom. There is a Zen story that tells of a man charging down a road on a galloping horse. Another man, on the side of the road, yells to the first man, "Where are you going?" "I don't know", replies the rider, "Ask the horse." The horse represents our galloping thoughts pulling us along throughout our day. We don't know where we are going and we couldn't stop, even if we did. Lately I have been reading about mindfulness, the act of stopping and paying attention to the here and now. During the act of stopping, we stop thinking, forgetfulness and the strong emotions that rule us. When we are practicing mindful breathing, eating, walking, loading the dishwasher, driving our car, grocery shopping etc. we are touching deeply the present moment and appreciating the well being that is already present in our day to day lives. Normally when I do any of these activities I'm usually thinking about something that took place in the past or planning the future, certainly not about what I am actually doing or even where I am most of the time. How many times have I driven almost all the way to work and wondered how I got there! What happened to the last few miles of road? So there I was, on a fine summer morning, sitting on the steps of my front porch, mindfully eating my breakfast. I was eating whole-wheat squares with blueberries on top. I focused on the taste of the whole-wheat, the tartness of the blueberries. I did wonder if eating mindfully would make me feel more full after a meal but instead of dwelling on that thought which would have led me on the horse of no return, I simply went back to my cereal and the blueberries. Later as I was folding laundry, lost in thought, I asked myself, "What am I doing?" "I am folding laundry, be mindful of it", I replied and brought myself back to the task at hand. Throughout the day I practiced mindful walking, driving and listening. Each time my galloping horse took off, I simply asked myself, "What are your doing?" and came back to the now. Each task, even if it was simply mindful breathing, became the most important job in my life at that moment. We are all struggling to find happiness and joy in our lives. Living mindfully suggests that it is right in front of us every day in our ordinary lives. Perhaps it is a blue sky on a summer day, a flower that bloomed overnight in your garden, the sound of your children's voices. My father, who only moves with pain in his later years, would say that joy is being able to move like he used to as a younger man. Did he value this when he was younger? No, of course not. We only pay attention to these things when they have been taken away from us. Pay attention to the now, practice living mindfully and find the joy that is right in front of you everyday. Lesley Cordero is President of Cordero Consulting offering personal growth solutions in the form of workshops, keynote presentations, and Internet information resources. Subscribe to her free ezine "Deep Linking" at http://www.LesleyCordero.com and receive FREE the Special Report: Deep Linking - Articles on Change & Transformation. Are You Ready ... To See Things Differently?® is her new e-book.
MORE RESOURCES:
Gaga over yogaCalgary Herald, Canada - 17 hours agoNot that an activity that is this much in vogue needs me to defend it, but I've actually heard people slagging yoga. There is no shortage of Garfield types ... |
Johnson turns to yogaThe Press Association - 14 hours agoManchester City midfielder Michael Johnson is having yoga sessions in a bid to cure his nagging pelvic problems. Johnson, who signed a new five-year ... |
Eagle County teens tap into yogaVail Daily News, CO - 1 hour agoDogma Athletica's Amy Baker leads student athletes from Vail Ski and Snowboard Club Vail in a yoga pose that practices balance and stretches the shoulder ... |
Kahmic Yoga With Yogi GHamptons.com, NY - 8 hours agoThe charismatic Yogi G, spiritual funnyman and purveyor of Kahmic Yoga, offers one more session in the Hamptons before his NYC debut. ... |
New yoga studio opens in FentonFenton Tri County Times, MI - 11 hours agoWhether or not you have ever tried yoga, there’sa yoga class just waiting for you at Dibbleville Yoga. Located at 302 S. LeRoy St. in Fenton, this new yoga ... |
Stressed out execs seek relief in YogaEconomic Times, India - Oct 12, 2008Corporates too are becoming proactive and invite yoga consultants to hold workshops and classes in offices. “Such activities help build a good working ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Universal Mind
"There is an infinitely worthier subject for philosophers (to study) than all these trees and stones, and even all those stars; there is the mind of man." --Socrates"Mind is the expression of the soul, which belongs to God.
Internet Tip of the Week: The Power of Positive Thinking
The late Norman Vincent Peale was a controversial preacher who burst into public consciousness with his best-selling book, "The Power of Positive Thinking". He believed that ordinary people could become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things, and when they believe in themselves, they have the secret of success.
The Difference Between the Curmudgeons and the Serene
Have you ever noticed how many unhappy people there are inthis world of ours? Almost every time I venture out I comein contact with them. You see them in the stores, themarket, on the roads ~ everywhere.
Do You Love Yourself?
So, do you love yourself?Shouldn't really be a difficult question to answer should it?For many people this question makes them feel more than a little uncomfortable. In fact, if you've suddenly become short of breath and your palms have gone a little sweaty, then you should definitely continue reading this article!A mad passionate love affair!Have you ever considered what it would be like to have a mad passionate love affair with yourself? And I'm not talking about a one night stand here either! I'm talking about a beautiful, blossoming, burgeoning romance.
How To Condition Your Mind For Success
Your mindset is a strong factor in achieving any type of success. By creating S-M-A-R-T goals for yourself you can condition your mind to achieve whatever it is you desire.
Be Positive
This may sound quite aberrant to most of the younger generations who are not really exposed to the personality development articles, books or motivational lectures.Being positive does not indicate that we aren't able to handle a situation which is of abstruse nature.
Attitude Is Everything! Make it Great!
Change your attitude, change your lifeIn my experiences, I've found that opportunities are awarded most often to the person who had the best ATTITUDE for the job, not the most APTITUDE for the job. By changing your attitude to be more positive, people will want to talk to you, and you'll get more opportunities.
11 Great Ways to be Positive about Change
Look for the positives!Seek them out - those little scary places that it's challenging to let yourself go to - the positives are genuinely scary, because they give you hope and it's hard to let go of all the fears you have right now - so hanging onto them is the easiest path!So try letting yourself go, just for the heck of it!Take that step back from being 'done to' and take the initiative. At work, at home or wherever, this can be a great time, if you let it.
Positive Changes Achieved by Exercising Mind, Body & Spirit
My story explains the struggles I had as a 23-year-old single, divorced mom with three children, ages six, four, and one and then shows some practical ways I used to change my life and claim my personal power. Self-pity, anger, guilt, and self-hatred were my constant emotional companions.
Such Is Life, And Its Getting Sucher And Sucher
Problems, disappointments and trouble; the three skunks that sometimes think they are our children. At least they want to stay around long enough to give us a college education.
The Power of Inner Dialogue
Are you aware of your inner dialogue? If not, you canbe aware of it at this moment. Just get quiet and listen,there is a voice inside you that is constantly talkingto you all the time.
Changing Negatives to Positives
Occasionally people will ask me how I keep a positive attitude, or remain optimistic. I used to find it funny that I would get asked such things.
Becoming Excellent: Outsmarting Racism
Thinkers know better than to be racist. It's generally understood that racists are, well, not thinkers.
Thanks For The Rejection!
It sounds a little masochistic, but I actually appreciate being rejected. No, I don't needlessly relish the sting of reproach, or eagerly welcome scornful criticism, per se.
Clenching?
What are you holding onto? Wanta quit?There are many things that we people hold onto. Some of them are more important than others.
Power Talk: The Two Most Powerful Words In Language
I don't know about you, but for me, the technological age in which we're living seems to have increased the speed of life. If we are properly programmed, there is not a minute of our life that we are out of communication.
Turning Fear Into Power
How would your life shift if you moved into what you feared not away from it, if you moved into the future with controlled abandon -think about it! One of the things I know from working with people for close to two decades and from my own development is that - things change. And yet how many people say they hate change.
Why You Must Learn to Forgive for the Sake of Your Own Happiness
Your ability to forgive those who have hurt you in the past is a crucial stepping stone to your spiritual and emotional growth. Throughout the course of our lives, we collect emotional baggage.
Prisoner of Attitude
"Thinking is responsible for man's primacy on earth today. Existence is therefore co-terminus with thinking.
The Map Is Not the Territory
Just in an average day we can experience many things that we take as good or bad. In this article I want to take a look at what takes a place in the human mind as it relates to our daily affairs.
|
