Mindfulness does not have to
involve sitting in a lotus position in a white room decorated with a single
flower in a bowl of clear water.
It can, of course. But for
those of us meditationally challenged, I offer some other ideas for stilling the
monkey mind.
Repetitive cardio. The
rhythmic motion of swimming, biking, running can have the same effect as a
rocking chair on a baby. We
settle. We breathe. We relax.
Coloring. There is a
reason this has become trendy. We
give our brains just enough to do that the monkey mind slows down and rests in
the moment. Drawing, knitting, and
some kinds of writing also fit into this space.
Singing. Mindfulness
has an intimate relationship with breath.
It is challenging to sing without breathing deeply. Bonus points for doing it in the
shower. Extra bonus points for
crazy dancing, falsetto, or costumes.
Cleaning. Creating
beauty and space outside ourselves can often create the same inside. Clutter in our heads keeps us from focusing
on the essentials. Clutter on our
desks can do the same. Also, life
is better with less dog hair.
Cooking. Tactile
practices like cooking bring us into the body. The colors and scents and textures of cooking feed us before
we even eat a bite. Best results
in cooking come from paying attention to the details, which is another way of
saying focus.
Do what works.
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