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Mindfulness can become automatic once you master the discipline of applying it to every day life and its challenges. As soon as I notice an unwanted emotion trying to surface, be it stress, anger, frustration, jealousy or FOMO (fear of missing out), I switch to mindfulness to beat its butt! Mindfulness, like Reiki, is a free tool, like a portable first aid kit, that can be used at any time, any place, anywhere. Relaxation is generally easier if we focus on a summer beach, spring meadows or a warm summers day. Winter is not always welcomed by everyone, but what a great time for reflection and contemplation as we hibernate, keep cosy and warm in the safety of our homes and be still. Burdens are forgotten when I retire into my squashy chair and bask in the warmth of the fire, the flames blazing like dancers in the hearth. I listen to the rain splattering against the window panes. This is a perfect time to let yourself feel the freedom of just being.
The cultivation of mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, but most religions include some type of refocus to shift your thoughts away from your usual preoccupations toward an appreciation of the moment. A few years ago I met the Dalai Lama’s long term translator, Venerable Gesh Lhakdor from Tibet. He did an enlightening speech on patience, happiness and peace at the Crystal Castle in Byron Bay. He explained that order to be happy, we need to feed our soul and not our senses. We can get trapped in a ‘shopping coma’ as Geshe put it, where our desires are constantly chasing the next gadget or item. Anyone with an iphone will relate to this, and most ebayers will relate to a temporary lapse in reality while slipping into a bidding war, then regretting it afterwards. Geshe explained that once the honeymoon is over with our newly purchased item, we need to give our credit card another bashing, which eventually leads to disappointment and debt. We were also given some advice on being patient and releasing the need to have instant access to everything; very apt in our fast-paced, disposable society.
Make it a priority to live in the moment, with active intentional attention on the present. You know what they say, “if you don’t have time to meditate, you need to meditate even more!” We are observers of our thoughts. Ask yourself “What can I see right now?” For me, it’s raindrops forming streams and racing each other down the window panes. Clouds drifting past slowly in the blue sky, which gradually turns grey as the day gets older.”What can I hear right now?” I can hear rhe repetitive tick-tock of the clock on my desk like a heart beat and gusts of wind battering against the walls outside.It feels great to be in the present moment! Attention to the breath anchors our attention, brings us into the present moment and prevents unwanted distractions.
Life unfolds in the present. But so often, we let the present slip away, allowing time to rush past unobserved and unseized, wasting precious moments as we worry about the future and dwell on intrusive memories. When we’re at work, we fantasize about being on holiday; we worry about the work and emails piling up. We don’t appreciate the living present because our minds vault from thought to thought like monkeys swinging from tree to tree. Sometimes we will go on holiday and not enjoy that, because the adrenaline and cortisol runs out as we relax (Adrenaline helps us to cope with stress and boosts the immune system and cortisol fights infection). There again, perhaps people are ill all along. They are so busy and determined to battle on until their holiday arrives that they simply don’t notice they are becoming ill until they have the chance to relax on holiday. There is also the suggestion that people might use illness as an excuse not to participate if they don’t like the holiday! It’s liberating and stress -relieving to disconnect from technology and go back to basics. Wake up with the sunrise, sleeping under the stars, listen to the waves lapping against the shore, breathe in the fresh oxygen from the trees and look in each others’ eyes instead of on computer screens.
If you have trouble switching off, clearing your mind or creatively visualising, feel free to reach out. I am a hypnotherapist with a background in meditation instructing and reiki. You can DM me by clicking on this link: www.andreafortune.com.au
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