Mindfulness: getting a bit more subtle – part 3 of 3

This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on Mindfulness

Read part 1: http://waverleyyoga.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/what-exactly-is-mindfulness-1-of-3.html

Read part 2: http://waverleyyoga.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/exploring-mindfulness-part-2-of-3.html

If you have been reading this series you will have become aware that being mindful is becoming aware of the sensations of the moment. For me, this attitude of attention and awareness enhances the richness of everyday life. It brings meditation off the cushion and into everyday awareness.

It also doesn’t mean that everything that has happened before is no longer relevant. In fact the past helps to form our experience of the present.

A natural progression in notice moment by moment sensations is to become more aware of the inner sensations.

Some of the myriad of things I have noticed when I feel within are:

• An uncomfortable feeling in the stomach, a bit churned up
• A feeling of expansion and openness at the heart, a feeling of joy 
• A feeling of tightness or a ‘lump’ in the throat
• A feeling of flowing and ease at the throat
• A clear headed feeling, aware of thoughts rolling over 
• Feelings of joy, feelings of frustration … oh too many feelings to write down

One thing I have noticed is that if we spend all the time ‘in our heads’ we can more easily ignore the messages that the subtle body sends us.

When we develop being mindful we are more open to the messages of the subtle body. So life becomes even richer and awareness even more finely tuned.

What do the above examples mean anyway?

Feelings in the Gut

Gut sensations have to do with getting things done and having the will (or not) to do things.

My teacher once said she felt tight in the gut until she made a difficult phone call, and after that the tightness dissipated. It doesn’t have to be anything major! But awareness is so useful.

Feelings in the Heart

We all know the pain of lost love or the ache of loss. And hopefully also the heart-expanding, joyful feeling of love.

These feelings are very real aren’t they? But when we are caught up in our head we can miss these life-affirming signals!

Feelings in the Throat

Could it be that the ‘lump’ or tightness in the throat relates to not being able to say what you want to say, or not knowing how to say something? Feeling that your voice doesn’t count?

And could the easeful throat indicate ease of communication – both receiving and giving? You know how some people are just so much easier to communicate with, you understand each other.

Feelings in the 'Head-space'

Of course the head is the area of wisdom.

It is also where we create all those thoughts of anger, frustration, stress at things not being as we want them and so on.

Meditation is the key.

I find I am not so likely to be aware of my inner world if I do not take the time to be quiet.

Just as we can notice body sensations both inner and outer, we can also notice the sensation of being aware of thoughts rolling around in the mind.

My mind is very good at keeping me from experiencing inner sensations.

I have described previously how chanting somehow takes awareness away from my thinking space and into the feeling space. (You can read that post here: http://waverleyyoga.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/what-is-chanting-and-why-would-i-want.html) I then become aware of loving spaciousness. I find that dancing does this too!

Eventually we see that we can be mindful of the mind. We can watch the thoughts arise and then slip away. 

Perhaps we see that even that old familiar sense of ‘me’ is just a thought as well.

What? Yes I have spoken about that in another blog Simple and obvious once you know, but truly profound

When we take the time to meditate, we develop mindful awareness that we can then take off the mat and into everyday life. 

Have you enjoyed this post? I would love you to comment below!

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Exploring Mindfulness – Part 2 of 3

Often we do a task with the intention of getting it done, so that we can get to the next thing. Right?

Here are some examples:

1. A simple example that I commonly share is doing the dishes so that we can sit down and have a cup of tea.

2. Or another might be to get that phone call to your mother out of the way so you can sit down and relax in front of the TV (or computer).

3. Or we gobble down some food at our desk in order to get on with the working day.

With just a slight shift in attitude, here’s what these experiences could be like:

1. Stay present with doing the dishes, without rushing. Notice the soap suds, the way they glisten, feel the warm water, see the shiny dishes. Then use that same attitude of attention to make the cup and tea, and then drink it.

2. Make the phone call and really listen to the other person. Engage with them. Can you pick up anything from their tone of voice? You might find that speaking with love and compassion naturally follows.

3. Eat mindfully! Really notice the small, taste and texture of each mouthful. Don’t have any distracting electronic devices in front of you! You will be rewarded with rich sensations.

These examples are simple and a good place to start.

People sometimes tell me that they don’t have time to slow down to do the dishes, or that if they do try, they get frustrated or bored.

This becomes an opportunity to notice the way frustration arises when you are just living your life doing its simple practicalities. And it shows just how much we do live ‘in our heads’.

I read somewhere the advice:

‘Live the moments of your life as if you had chosen them.’

Try the attitude that NOW is the time I am going to do the dishes; I have chosen to spend this moment doing the dishes. Does that make a difference?

There are just so many more ways to practice being mindful.

I’m even amazed at the dexterity of my fingers as I type this.

You might want to try:

·         Putting out the rubbish

·         Driving (always a good idea to be mindful!)

·         Yoga practice on the mat

·         Listening to your children

·         Playing with your children

·         Having a shower

·         Smoothing lotion on your body

·         Cleaning your teeth

·         Chopping vegetables

In fact for as much of your day as you can, stay present with the sensations of the moment.

Earlier today while I put petrol in the car there was the smell of the petrol and the feeling of the sun on my skin. Interesting how the mind can judge one of these as bad and the other as good. Yet they are just sensations to notice. They add richness to my life. (I’m not going to make a habit of smelling petrol by the way, it is just today’s example.)

What did you try? Did it make a difference? Please share in the comments below!

From simple practices we can develop greater awareness of more subtle inner sensations. I’ll talk about that in part 3 of this series. Look out for it soon.

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What exactly is Mindfulness? (1 of 3)

This is part 1 of a 3 part series exploring Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a bit of a buzz word lately. It simply means to notice the sensations of the moment. That is, to be present with them. Or mindful. So we notice and keep on noticing the present moment.

These present-moment sensations are physical, such as touch, smell, noticing the subtleties of the breath, and also inner sensations or feelings.

 

Here’s an example of two ways of walking down the street:

• There’s the one I used to use all the time and still sometimes do – basically just charging along briskly – perhaps with the thoughts rolling around my head and using the time to think.

• Then there’s slowing it down and focusing on sensations …feet on the earth, air on the skin, smells, sights, body movement … and so on.

Can you see the difference? The second way is the mindful way:

Walking to walk, rather than walking to get to the destination.

But what’s the point?

Having the attitude of choosing to live every moment of your life (or as many as possible) being present with the sensations means that you get to feel the rich tapestry of sensations and feelings that are often missed when we are stuck in our heads.

Often the simple, everyday things are what gives life its colour, texture and richness.

Following on from the example above, have you ever really felt the way we shift our entire weight from one foot to the other when we take a step? How many tiny balancing muscle movements we make to achieve it? It seems so simple but it can be rich and interesting to explore.

Are you someone who is always looking for the next big hit of experience, you know, the marathon run, the bungee jump, the mountain to climb, the various extreme sports or visits to exotic locations?  I’m not saying these aren’t great to do (after all, I’m writing this in Princeton, USA, all the way across the world from where I live in Melbourne, Australia) but sometimes we can fall in the trap of missing what is right here with us every moment.

We put off living the life we are having now, in order to dream about the one that is a fantasy in our head!

To the extent that we are in our head with our thoughts, this is the extent that we are NOT being present with the sensations of the moment.

Another benefit:

One of the reasons mindfulness has become a bit of a buzz word lately is because it is turning out to be a very useful therapeutic tool for anxiety and depression. It can be really beneficial if you tend to get a bit ‘trapped’ in your thoughts to focus on the present moment.

But we limit it if we think that’s all mindfulness is. It is a practice of living life meditatively.

Mindfulness is bringing our meditative awareness into living our life.   

I have deliberately not given many examples, because it would be great if you could come up with some. What have you done mindfully? Did it make a difference to your experience? I’d LOVE to hear from you in the comment section below.

Watch out for part two of this series soon. We will explore some more examples of mindfulness. But in the meantime please share your experiences of mindfulness practice.

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