Renee Singh
Getting rid of stress is imperative. We spoke in the earlier column how living consciously in the present moment could be the key to eliminate stress. We call this mindfulness. In simple and lucid words we could say that, any activity that you perform, where you stay fully present and very well rooted in the “here” and “now” along with a completely non-judgemental attitude, can be called mindfulness.
How to get there and start practicing and living in this state of mindfulness is of course the crucial answer. There are various strategies which we can adapt to this very vital and extreme state of relaxation but I am going to concentrate here today on what we will call mindfulness meditation.
Meditation in itself is a powerful word. Most people are actually very wary of this word in many ways. People feel it is just too much associated with the spiritual process and has a sort of spiritual connotation. Whereas in reality I feel it is just a practice we need to learn to discipline our wayward mind. We need to use our mind as a vehicle and use mindfulness as a tool to reach a level of balance and relaxation. Immediate environment is our best playground and our school for learning. There is everything available here for our own personal growth and enhancement and also to learn how to lead a stress-free life.
Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation involves breathing, practice, mental imagery, muscle and body relaxation.
- Find yourself a quiet comfortable place
- Sit on a chair or on the ground
- Put aside thoughts of past and future
- Stay in the present moment
- Pat attention to your breath
- Observe your mind
- Focus on a point in the centre of your forehead
- Observe your thoughts come and go
- Don’t be harsh on yourself
- Do not judge yourself
- Be calm and quiet
- Keep flowing with your thoughts
- Don’t suppress your thoughts
- Slowly turn back your attention to your breath
- Be with it for a minute or two
- Get up feeling fresh, relaxed and rejuvenated
Living your day to day experiences completely is also a way of mindfulness meditation. Meditation does not essentially mean that you are sitting in a formal position and concentrating. Your each and every action can be a meditation if done with complete awareness. Chewing on every bite and savouring the taste is a mindfulness meditation. Feeling consciously with awareness is what it’s about. Like brushing your teeth. A daily activity. Be consciously aware of your action. Feel your feet firmly on the ground, the brush in your hand, moving to clean the teeth. Experience every miniscule feeling. Make your fitness trip a practice in mindfulness. While exercising, keep your focus on your breath and your mind centred. Doing any single thing – walking, driving, as long as you are calm and centred, all these are simple forms of mindfulness meditation.
Live to enjoy and feel relaxed, joyful and happy.
(Singh is a Chandigarh-based psychotherapist)
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2YUmgyj
via Today’s News Headlines
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