Do you know what mindfulness is?
In this crazy world, there’s certainly no short supply of hucksters who love to over-promise shortcuts, or so-called “lifehacks” along with a litany of other tips and tricks to short circuit the pleasure, and in my opinion – the value, of living and what it means to truly be truly alive and human, dreaming and erring, sinning and forgiving.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any shortcuts for you. So if you’re looking to “pretend” to get more done in less time, then you can stop reading. I’m not selling you a seminar. In fact, I’m not selling you anything. The truth is that I’d rather live fully. I’d rather accept the scars and bruises that life has to offer. As I see it, time only goes forward, but the mind can be anywhere. At least, I’d rather be experiencing life then simply waiting for the next moment or life episode to begin. So the only thing I can offer you right now is a sense of mindfulness, a sense of power and hope, and one man’s insight into valuing yourself and the world around you. You know, that precious gift, that priceless delicate gem that God gave you…life.
Another way to think about “mindfulness” is to consider it as a way of observing and participating in life. Forget about “winning” for a moment, or whatever junior high school psychological scripts that we’ve all been taught throughout our peculiar formalized mis-education. Just take a moment and consider what it might feel like to be present for life instead of always problem-solving and aching for the next moment to begin. Sure, there are a million different therapeutic benefits to meditation, but I’m not selling you a box of cookies here. I just want to share with you what it feels like to live deeply, to forgive, to be at peace, to be alive in the 21st century and not be under the false impression that you or anyone else has all the answers to life’s most enduring, and pointlessly circular, questions.
If you’re a Yogi, a Buddhist, a priest, or a monk, then good for you. I’m not, and I don’t want to be.
However, I certainly know what it means to be alive. Beyond that, at some point, we’ll all also experience what it means to not be alive too. I hope that doesn’t scare you. If it does, then maybe you’re valuing the wrong things, the material things, and perhaps the unnecessary things in life. Come with me for a moment. Don’t be afraid; just be happy you’re alive, and take a moment to appreciate that fact. Let me share with you the gist about mindfulness.
First understand what meditation is not. It’s actually not simply sitting in a space contemplating. Sitting silently in an open area might be an incredibly soothing at time, however it is not mind-altering meditation.
At the outset just try to find a quiet, relatively cool space to sit and be alone. Take a seat comfortably with your back in a relaxed but relatively straight line. You do not need to worry about any particular specialized pose or rigid posture at this stage. Once again, just sit up, don’t fall asleep, and then breathe deeply. Do it slowly and regularly through your nasal passages. The rhythm will come, but for now just breathe. It helps to close your eyes, but it’s not critical. Hold your breath momentarily once you feel your lungs become full. Then, exhale slowly and gradually. Repeat this rhythmically for a few minutes.
After the first few minutes, you’ll notice your pulse start to decrease as you naturally begin breathing deeper and deeper. You’ll also begin to use your diaphragm as you fill your lungs with air. Ease into this motion. There’s no need to force your breathing. Just take a moment to focus on your own breathing. Quite a few people prefer to make use of a light flame or some other strategy to obtain focus. Sometimes I just listen to the background noise that usually goes completely ignored in the background of our lives as we’re rushing through the day.
At this point, maintaining a sense of focus or consistency in your thought pattern may begin to feel tricky. Don’t force your thoughts. Just aim to concentrate without effort or urgency on your respiration. When your thoughts amble, carefully shift your mind away from worry and to return to focus. Your mind will most likely try to rebel and attempt to think about just about anything and everything in the world. Try not to get irritated. This is normal. Just gently move your thought processes back into a sense of focused calm. Think about your breathing. It you’re doing it right, you’ll probably begin to feel your own heart beating, or even the hair on your head. Just gently guide the mind back into focus anytime it begins to wander.
Do this for as long as it happens to be pleasurable. Fifteen, twenty, or even thirty minutes is generally sufficient. Anything longer than that and you’ll probably want to go to the bathroom. Just enjoy the moment and that value of being alive. It isn’t necessary to be ambition driven during this exercise. Whatever occurs will come to pass and that is certainly okay. You’re lucky. You’re living and breathing. You have your wits about you. You’re sitting with God and listening to your most essential natural gifts, your mind and body.
Mindfulness is kind of like observing a storm. The more you try to control the situation the harder it becomes to understand it, to appreciate it, to recognize it for all its beauty. This is a natural and continuously growing experience, so let it occur without the need for striving. For the next couple years of your existence as you keep practicing, you’ll begin to see life a little differently than most. Enjoy it. Cherish it. You are rediscovering the reassurance of an inherent and innate gift, an intuitive state of consciousness. The process will become more fluid and also infinitely fulfilling as you observe new dimensions of your life and you become mindful of what power really means and the good you can use it for, your infinite beauty, and your spiritual strength.
