Spring flowers are beginning to bloom, the sun is shining more often and the days are getting longer - the spring cleaning season has arrived! Not only is this a time to declutter our spaces, we can also declutter our mind by clearing our minds, reducing negative thoughts and finding space among the mental chatter.
We can easily declutter the mind by using the concept of clean-slate simplicity in four easy steps.
The idea of clean-slate simplicity is rather simple. You take everything away and only return the items that are needed, as they're needed. Then anything left over can be donated, recycled or tossed.
To use the idea for the mind and our thoughts, set aside some quiet time where you won't be interrupted to allow yourself to go through this process of decluttering:
Write everything down
Start by clearing your mind of any "to-do" lists by writing everything down. You can do a full brain-dump here and write about anything that is on your mind; conversations that you want to have or ideas you want to retain. You may even wish to take time to journal, write an article or a quick email if that is what is needed to help you settle and let things go. Just be cautious not to get stuck here. You may wish to give yourself a time limit to ensure you move on to the next steps.
Identify any unwanted thoughts or behaviors
Next, do a quick inventory of any repetitive or negative thoughts and/or behaviors that you may want to let go. Then make a mental note or promise to yourself that you will not allow those types of thoughts or behaviors to return. Tell yourself that you will let them go and will only bring something back if it will be a positive addition to your life.
Enjoy the space and relax
Then, sit in silence or meditation for 10 - 20 minutes or longer if you wish. Knowing that you have written down anything you wanted to remember so now you can really relax. Letting go any thoughts or feelings that arise. Allowing the body to soften and the mind to settle, quietly observe any sounds, feelings or thoughts if they arise. Allowing the mind to calm and become quiet, enjoy the space you've created.
Only return thoughts that serve you
After you have sat in silence or meditation, deliberately set an intention to only allow thoughts, feelings or behaviors to return if they will be a positive addition to your life. Otherwise, let them go and enjoy the calm, clear mind you have created.
Just as any space in our home or work can build up clutter over time, the mind can become cluttered again especially if we have not created systems or habits to deal with our mental clutter on a regular basis. To sustain a decluttered mind, incorporate a meditation or mindfulness practice into your daily routine so you can regularly let go of unwanted thoughts or behaviors to keep the mind calm and clear.
Enjoy taking the time to declutter your thoughts to start off the spring season with a calm and clear mind.
Namasté,
Sarah
Here are some more mindfulness tips from Zen Habits to help you expand your mindfulness practice to other your daily activities.
1. Do one thing at a time. Single-task, don’t multi-task. When you’re pouring water, just pour water. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re bathing, just bathe. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while eating or bathing or driving. Zen proverb: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”
2. Do it slowly and deliberately. You can do one task at a time, but also rush that task. Instead, take your time, and move slowly. Make your actions deliberate, not rushed and random. It takes practice, but it helps you focus on the task.
3. Do less. If you do less, you can do those things more slowly, more completely and with more concentration. If you fill your day with tasks, you will be rushing from one thing to the next without stopping to think about what you do. But you’re busy and you can’t possibly do less, right? You can. I’ve done it, and so have many busy people. It’s a matter of figuring out what’s important, and letting go of what’s not.
4. Put space between things. Related to the “Do less” rule, but it’s a way of managing your schedule so that you always have time to complete each task. Don’t schedule things close together — instead, leave room between things on your schedule. That gives you a more relaxed schedule, and leaves space in case one task takes longer than you planned.
5. Spend at least 5 minutes each day doing nothing. Just sit in silence. Become aware of your thoughts. Focus on your breathing. Notice the world around you. Become comfortable with the silence and stillness. It’ll do you a world of good — and just takes 5 minutes!
6. Stop worrying about the future – focus on the present. Become more aware of your thinking — are you constantly worrying about the future? Learn to recognize when you’re doing this, and then practice bringing yourself back to the present. Just focus on what you’re doing, right now. Enjoy the present moment.
7. When you’re talking to someone, be present. How many of us have spent time with someone but have been thinking about what we need to do in the future? Or thinking about what we want to say next, instead of really listening to that person? Instead, focus on being present, on really listening, on really enjoying your time with that person.
8. Eat slowly and savor your food. Food can be crammed down our throats in a rush, but where’s the joy in that? Savor each bite, slowly, and really get the most out of your food. Interestingly, you’ll eat less this way, and digest your food better as well.
9. Live slowly and savor your life. Just as you would savor your food by eating it more slowly, do everything this way — slow down and savor each and every moment.
10. Make cleaning and cooking become meditation. Cooking and cleaning are often seen as drudgery, but actually they are both great ways to practice mindfulness, and can be great rituals performed each day. If cooking and cleaning seem like boring chores to you, try doing them as a form of meditation. Put your entire mind into those tasks, concentrate, and do them slowly and completely. It could change your entire day (as well as leave you with a cleaner house).
11. Keep practicing. When you get frustrated, just take a deep breath. When you ask yourself, “What should I do now, Self?”, the answer is “keep practicing”.
Hope you enjoyed these tips and are able to integrate them into your day to add more mindfulness to your life.
So you know that calm and relaxed state you feel after meditation? It feels good and lasts for a little while then daily life oozes back into your body and mind leaving you feeling stressed and maybe even overwhelmed. You might even feel like you're back where you started.
Is it possible to sustain that feeling beyond the meditation and carry it into your daily life?
I believe it is and can be done rather simply. But just like meditation, it is a life-long process and isn't always easy.
All you have to do is take the mindfulness techniques you practice in mediation and use them in whatever it is that you're doing. Whether it's driving or having a discussion with someone or reading a book. Just allow your attention to rest fully on whatever you are doing. Being aware of what is happening within and around you will help you to cultivate mindfulness throughout your day and prolong that sense of peace.
This is one of the reasons why we practice mediation, for the positive effects it can have in all areas of our life.
Here are a couple of mindfulness tips from one of my favourite blogs, Zen Habits:
- Do one thing at a time. Single-task, don’t multi-task. When you’re pouring water, just pour water. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re bathing, just bathe. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while eating or bathing or driving. Zen proverb: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”
- Stop worrying about the future – focus on the present. Become more aware of your thinking — are you constantly worrying about the future? Learn to recognize when you’re doing this, and then practice bringing yourself back to the present. Just focus on what you’re doing, right now. Enjoy the present moment.
Join the class next week on Thursday, 7 Feb from 7 - 8 pm at the Mandala Center for Health and Wellness to discuss various ways to bring the mindfulness you practice in mediation beyond your practice and into your daily life.
Namasté,
Sarah
The first few days of 2013 are a time of new beginnings, focusing on our personal goals and creating New Year’s resolutions to make this our best year ever! When you ask yourself “What one thing can I be doing that will bring me the most benefit in my life?” what is your answer? Mine is to create a regular daily meditation practice so I thought yours might be as well. To help you develop a daily meditation practice and “Create a Meditation Habit” here is a free Meditation Planner made just for you. Here is some background info to help you fill it out. Why meditate… Under this section, list the various reasons why you choose to meditate or what you hope to gain from a regular practice. It is best to approach meditation without expectations and to accept the experience as it is. Yet, it may help you stay motivated if you remind yourself of your reasons for choosing to develop a regular practice such as health benefits, stress reduction, focus or concentration, compassion, emotional resilience or whatever other reason you choose to make the time for yourself to meditate. Your reasons for meditating may change over time. Just focus on a few main reasons you are drawn to at the moment. When to meditate… By deliberately choosing specific times in the day that you will meditate (and even the location and any props you’ll need), you are taking the time to think about how this new activity will fit into your daily routine. Maybe you will meditate before getting out of bed or leaving your house for the day. Maybe you would prefer to meditate over lunch to get a break from work or at the end of your day. Make a commitment to yourself to meditate for at least 5 minutes before going to sleep at the end of the day. (Using meditation techniques as you fall asleep will help you drift off peacefully but it is more ideal to meditate as a separate activity to gain the most benefits and allow you to explore your meditations without falling asleep.) Choose a least one backup time as well. Successful habit changers are specific with what they will do if their original plan fails. By having a backup plan, it will be easier to go with the flow of your day and maintain your habit despite unexpected changes to your routine. Set Your Goal Time Decide how long you would like to meditate in each session. Start small and work your way up to ensure success. Even 5 minutes a day will help you instil the habit. Then if you wish, you can extend the sessions by a minute every day or 5 minutes one week and 10 the next. Whatever works best for you. Ensure you choose something that will help you be successful. Remember the focus is a regular habit, not to meditate for hours one day and then be fed up with the process. By starting slow at the beginning, it is more likely you will make a change that sticks with your routine. Check off each day that you meditate or write down the length of time you meditated that day. By seeing each box filled, there will be more of a draw to do it again and again to keep filling up the boxes. A Visual Reminder Post the Meditation Planner somewhere you will see it daily such as the fridge, a mirror in the bathroom or somewhere you will see it easily. This will ensure you are getting a visual reminder every time you see it which will help you stay focused and remember your intention to create a meditation habit. Even keep a pen nearby so you’re able to keep track easily. Finally, Remember Compassion The last piece that is required for developing a successful habit is compassion. Be patient with yourself if you forget one day or your schedule doesn’t align with your plan. Once you remember to meditate just start again where you left off. A missed day isn’t a failure but part of the journey as you are developing the regular habit. Keep practicing, be compassionate with yourself and adapt your routine as you go along.
Your Meditation Planner Here is the downloadable Meditation Planner for you. It should only take a couple of minutes to fill it out. Then post it right away so you can start tracking your progress today. Enjoy! Wishing you much success as you “Create a Meditation Habit.” Namasté, S PS – The January “Create a Meditation Habit Course” starts next Thursday 10 Jan at 7pm. Space is limited so if you’d like to reserve your spot, just send an email to [email protected]. Hope to see you there! :)
Meditation can be described as calm, compassionate attention. Straightforward and simple, meditation is essentially training our attention so that we can be more aware – not only of our own inner workings but also of what’s happening around us in the here and now. Once we see clearly what’s going on in the moment, we can then choose whether and how to act on what we’re seeing. Insight meditation is the simple and direct practice of moment-to-moment awareness. By focusing our attention a single chosen object like the breath, and repeatedly letting go of distractions in order to return our attention to that object. Over time, you can move your attention to whatever thoughts, feelings, or sensations arise in the moment. People have been transforming their minds through meditation for thousands of years. Every major world religion includes some form of contemplative exercise, though today meditation is often practiced apart from any belief system. Depending on the type, meditation can be done in silence and stillness, by using voice and sound, or by engaging the body in movement. All forms emphasize the training of attention. How Meditation trains attention: The three Key skills All forms of meditation strengthen and direct our attention through the cultivation of three key skills: concentration, mindfulness and compassion or loving kindness. - Concentration: steadies and focuses our attention so that we can let go of distractions.
- Mindfulness: refines our attention so that we can connect fully and directly with whatever life brings.
- Compassion or loving kindness: is compassionate awareness that opens our attention and makes it more inclusive.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100319210631.htm ScienceDaily (Mar. 31, 2010) — Meditation research explores how the brain works when we refrain from concentration, rumination and intentional thinking. Electrical brain waves suggest that mental activity during meditation is wakeful and relaxed. "Given the popularity and effectiveness of meditation as a means of alleviating stress and maintaining good health, there is a pressing need for a rigorous investigation of how it affects brain function," says Professor Jim Lagopoulos of Sydney University, Australia. Lagopoulos is the principal investigator of a joint study between his university and researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) on changes in electrical brain activity during nondirective meditation. Constant brain waves Whether we are mentally active, resting or asleep, the brain always has some level of electrical activity. The study monitored the frequency and location of electrical brain waves through the use of EEG (electroencephalography). EEG electrodes were placed in standard locations of the scalp using a custom-made hat Participants were experienced practitioners of Acem Meditation, a nondirective method developed in Norway. They were asked to rest, eyes closed, for 20 minutes, and to meditate for another 20 minutes, in random order. The abundance and location of slow to fast electrical brain waves (delta, theta, alpha, beta) provide a good indication of brain activity. Relaxed attention with theta During meditation, theta waves were most abundant in the frontal and middle parts of the brain. "These types of waves likely originate from a relaxed attention that monitors our inner experiences. Here lies a significant difference between meditation and relaxing without any specific technique," emphasizes Lagopoulos. "Previous studies have shown that theta waves indicate deep relaxation and occur more frequently in highly experienced meditation practitioners. The source is probably frontal parts of the brain, which are associated with monitoring of other mental processes. When we measure mental calm, these regions signal to lower parts of the brain, inducing the physical relaxation response that occurs during meditation." Silent experiences with alpha Alpha waves were more abundant in the posterior parts of the brain during meditation than during simple relaxation. They are characteristic of wakeful rest. "This wave type has been used as a universal sign of relaxation during meditation and other types of rest," comments Professor Øyvind Ellingsen from NTNU. "The amount of alpha waves increases when the brain relaxes from intentional, goal-oriented tasks.This is a sign of deep relaxation, -- but it does not mean that the mind is void." Neuroimaging studies by Malia F. Mason and co-workers at Dartmouth College NH suggest that the normal resting state of the brain is a silent current of thoughts, images and memories that is not induced by sensory input or intentional reasoning, but emerges spontaneously "from within." "Spontaneous wandering of the mind is something you become more aware of and familiar with when you meditate," continues Ellingsen, who is an experienced practitioner. "This default activity of the brain is often underestimated. It probably represents a kind of mental processing that connects various experiences and emotional residues, puts them into perspective and lays them to rest." Different from sleep Delta waves are characteristic of sleep. There was little delta during the relaxing and meditative tasks, confirming that nondirective meditation is different from sleep. Beta waves occur when the brain is working on goal-oriented tasks, such as planning a date or reflecting actively over a particular issue. EEG showed few beta waves during meditation and resting. "These findings indicate that you step away from problem solving both when relaxing and during meditation," says Ellingsen. Nondirective versus concentration Several studies indicate better relaxation and stress management by meditation techniques where you refrain from trying to control the content of the mind. These methods are often described as nondirective, because practitioners do not actively pursue a particular experience or state of mind. They cultivate the ability to tolerate the spontaneous wandering of the mind without getting too much involved. Instead of concentrating on getting away from stressful thought and emotions, you simple let them pass in an effortless way. Take home message Nondirective meditation yields more marked changes in electrical brain wave activity associated with wakeful, relaxed attention, than just resting without any specific mental technique.
There are numerous health benefits to a regular meditation practice. Some doctors are recommending meditation because it helps with so many health and psychological issues. Therapists have come to realize that meditation can alter reactions to daily experience at a level that words can not reach. - Strengthens our immune system
- Helps chronic pain
- Decreases insomnia
- Decreases immune deficiencies
- Lowers anxiety
- Reduces chronic back pain
- Alleviates asthma symptoms
- Lowers blood pressure
- Assists with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Increases fertility
- Helps with rheumatoid arthritis
- Relieves irritable bowel syndrome
- Decreases negative emotions while increasing positive ones
- Increase in disease-fighting genes
These health benefits come from triggering the relaxation effect and were found to increase with regular practice: the more people practised relaxation methods such as meditation or deep breathing, the greater their benefits. The state of relaxation is linked to higher levels of feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and to the growth hormone which repairs cells and tissue. Indeed, studies show that relaxation has virtually the opposite effect, lowering heart rate, boosting immunity and enabling the body to thrive. While relaxation techniques can be very different, their biological effects are essentially similar. When you relax, the parasympathetic nervous system switches on. That is linked to better digestion, memory and immunity, among other things. What you're looking for is a state of deep relaxation where tension is released from the body on a physical level and your mind completely switches off. The effect won't be achieved by lounging round in an everyday way, nor can you force yourself to relax. You can only really achieve it by learning a specific technique such as self-hypnosis, guided imagery or meditation.
Many people struggle with noisy, thought-filled minds and come to meditation to hopefully find a way to decrease the chatter or get away from it for a while.
There are a few techniques you can try to calm the voice in your head by either giving it something else to focus on or by engaging a different part of your brain.
- Count 1 - 10: While following your breath, count each cycle of in and out as one then count to ten and then start again at one. Anytime your thoughts distract you, gently bring yourself back to counting your breath. This will focus the verbal centers of your brain on thinking of the numbers instead of chasing your thoughts.
- Experience emotions: If you bring your awareness to an emotion (gratitude, love or compassion are pleasant ones) and allow yourself to really feel the fullness of the emotion throughout your entire body, this engages your emotional centers in the brain which then allows the verbal centers to relax.
- Observing wholeness: By stretching your awareness to observe something with a wider perspective, your verbal centers will quiet down. It takes a large part of the brain to focus on your breath as a full thing, seeing the in and out and all sensations as one movement. Or you can observe your entire body all at once, feeling all parts of your body at the same time.
- Visualizing: By visualizing something in your mind, you engage your visual centers of your brain leaving your verbal centers to calm and quiet down.Try visualizing a calming place or something beautiful in your mind, seeing the detail and feeling what it would be like to really be there in person.
- Going into your thoughts: At times, our thoughts just want to be heard and by allowing ourselves to listen then we can hear what our mind is thinking about. So instead of trying to quiet your mind, follow the thoughts and see where they take you. Eventually they will relax and quiet down on their own.
Try one of these techniques during your next meditation or anytime you would like to quiet your mind.
Which one works best for you?
The art of living mindfully seems to be a life-long practice but the basics are simple. Anyone can be mindful, anywhere, at any time. One doesn't require years of training, lots of money or a
specific belief system to be able to get it. You can be mindful right now, today, at this moment.
Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way:
- on purpose
- in the present moment
- without judgement
That's it! Pretty simple, right?
The challenge comes in when we try to apply this to every area of our life. That's where a meditation practice can be beneficial. By practicing mindfulness through meditation, you learn to watch your thoughts and feelings as an observer. But you don't need to have a meditation practice to be able to be more mindful.
Paying attention to what you're experiencing and allowing whatever is happening to be there exactly as it is, can be done at any time. It's just observing without judgement, without trying to control your experience, without getting lost in your thoughts so you can experience what is happening right here, right now.
Imagine your awareness is like an ocean and you are looking up from under the surface of the water. Your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and experiences are like the surface - choppy at times, calm at others. But your awareness is way beneath the surface looking up, watching the waves as they go by without judging, without trying to control the movement of the water. Just watching, observing, being mindful.
I challenge you to take a moment right now to touch mindfulness, to see what it feels like if you haven't experienced it before, or to remind yourself of the feeling if you're familiar with it. (it seems we can never get enough reminders to be present)
All you need to do to find mindfulness is to focus on your breath. Feel it coming into your lungs and then leaving your body, follow it, experience it. Allow any thoughts or physical tension to fade away with every breath.
Take a moment or two to do that now...
Just breathe.
How did that feel? What was your experience like? How do you feel now compared to before, is there any change in your experience?
Try doing this small exercise of bringing your attention to your breath once a day. It can be done at any time, anywhere. All you need to do is remember to breathe and let everything be exactly as it is.
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