Mindfulness is easy, mindfulness is necessary, mindfulness is fun
*“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” *****
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
The only way to real happiness is to grasp the realization of the value of the present moment...The present moment, this split second in time, is all you have, all you ever had, and all you ever will have. You can only be truly happy when you are truly present - connected to this moment.
Practising mindfulness is not difficult. You do not need to read books on mindfulness, attend lessons in mindfulness, or study the theory of how mindfulness works, you just have to do it.
The process is very simple, although the practise requires focus. It is the focus that can be difficult to attain, but comes much easier with practice.
An easy way to experiment with mindfulness is when undertaking seemingly dull everyday household jobs like washing the dishes or doing the house cleaning.
The fundamental principle to accept is that, we have control over our minds, we do not have to let our minds have control over us.
Mindfulness requires that you simply dedicate all of your attention to the task or experience in hand. With your mind only attentive to the present moment, then:
- You are unaware of time, so not in a hurry to accomplish the task and get it over with as quickly as possible.
- You are not a victim of regrets of the past or worries about the future. You are released from anxiety and unwanted thoughts.
Let me illustrate..
I have to wash the dishes. The job will not be a chore as I eagerly anticipate the 'feeling good' that will accompany the experience.
I stand at the sink and take a couple of deep breaths. This acts as the signal to my body that my thinking mind can rest a while - I am coming into the present.
I am consciously in control of every movement I make, when I move my hands to turn on the taps my movements are slow and deliberate, voluntary rather than involuntary movements. My fingers make contact with the cold metal and I am aware of the unique substance of the shiny metal. The water begins to pour from the taps and I am aware of the wonder, the liquidity, of water. I squeeze some soap into the water and I am aware of its substance, and the way it mixes with the water. The little bubbles created are very beautiful. I notice things I would not normally notice. I notice substance, shape, texture and shadow. This is the hallmark of mindfulness. You notice things, details that are always present but your anxious mind is unable to acknowledge.
I reach over for a dirty dish, fully in control of my every movement. I am aware of the task the dish has done, I feel gratitude. I slide the dish into the warm water. I am aware of the water mixing with food and sauce leftovers and I notice the water subtly change colour. I pick up a dish cloth and I am aware of its colour and its texture. I wipe the cloth over the dish and marvel at the cleanliness of the dish as I lift it out of the water. I smell the fragrance of soap in warm water.
As I continue with the dishes, from time to time, my thinking mind tries to interject with some worry or other. My thinking mind, my ego mind, likes to be involved. It wants a job to do, it likes to worry. I observe the unwanted thoughts and put my thinking mind on pause. I have summoned focus and I am back in the present - That feels nice, I get a physical sensation of contentment wave through my body.
Now, if every day I can enter mindfulness, the experience will become easier and more frequent and I can work towards it becoming a common, rather than a rare experience. I will find it easier and easier to find the the focus until, never far from my mind, it becomes normal, rather than exceptional, practise.
My spiritual teacher is Eckhart Tolle - reading his books has changed my life.
It is Tolle I have to thank for enlightening me as to the following -life changeing concept:
We are separate from our minds and can, therefore, exercise control over our thinking.
Tolle sees the 'egoic mind' as our enemy and suggests we can detach from it, and when we do we are truly conscious. Tolle also tells us that when we are in the present moment, we cannot be unhappy.
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you will ever have.”
― Eckhart Tolle
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