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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Why are there pictures of Hindu deities on the wall at the yoga studio? It freaks me a bit!

The word Yoga means Union, or Unitary Consciousness.

Yogis recognize that we are all expressions of the one unitary consciousness.

This is a non-dualist view.(as distinct from the view that God or Self is separate, which is a dualist view).

Shiva is one of the representations of the one universal consciousness.

A physical representation of the one that we all are. A fully human fully spiritual being. (In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, my understanding is that this is known as Purusha).

A reminder that this is OUR very nature as well.

There are other ways to represent the Self, or God, or Source, of course. You can have any religion and practice and explore the whole of what yoga is. You can be Christian, in fact many of our yoga community here at Waverley Yoga Studio are, and practice yoga to its full extent. You can be Buddhist. And so on. You can also have no religion and also explore a yogic path.

Having said you can have any, or no religion and do yoga, it is fair to say that yoga originated in India and followed on from the Vedic writings and the Updanishads. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, one of if not the first writings about yoga and how to get to an experience of union, comes from India.

So having representations of Shiva and other deities in the room acknowledges yoga’s roots in Indian culture.

Shiva as a Hindu deity represents many things, one of which is the destroyer – getting rid of the old to make way for the new. And also concealment, revealment, and much more, in other words, those very aspects that the cycle of life constantly shows us.

Nataraj - Dancing Shiva

Shiva reminds me of the universal self, the oneness that we are.

The particular aspects of the ‘destroyer of old forms’ is just part of this oneness.

Shiva also graces our studio in his dancing form, as Nataraj. And Ganesha, Shiva’s mythical elephant-headed son, represents the removing of obstacles.

Sarasvati, well she only appeared after my spiritual name was bestowed, she represents wisdom, learning, also music and the arts.

There are many more gods and goddesses we can explore and honour as different aspects of the One Self that we are.

Not freaky at all.

What is chanting and why would I want to do it?

Chanting is something else (along with meditation as per my previous post) that takes you out of your normal busy mind and into the feeling space, especially of the throat and heart. Chanting is joyful and can be ecstatic. We chant the various names of the Self, the various representations of God here on earth, in a devotional way.

There is nothing that you have to believe as such, just give of yourself, put your heart and soul into it and see what happens.

Chanting is another portal into ecstatic connectedness and love.

I feel especially fortunate to have a teacher who has helped me to get the message of the Yoga Sutras. In the ACCY teacher training we thoroughly explore how the ordinary way of the mind is that we believe what we think, including the idea that we are a ‘me’. This habit of ‘vrrti svarupya’ where we think what the mind tells us is a true reflection of reality, is the ‘veil of illusion’ (refer to my post on Simple and obvious once you know, but truly profound). In addition, the other wonderful aspect of falling into this lineage is our tradition of chanting and mantra. So the combination of some intellectual contemplation and feeling an inner expansion makes for a rich full understanding and experience.

 

Experience and feeling can feel a bit weird and spacey without a good understanding.

And just an intellectual understanding without a rich and full experience of the Self would be limiting as well.

Chanting takes you out of limitation and into spaciousness. Wherever you are at in your personal enquiry and journey, chanting is fun and powerful. If you throw yourself into it, and don’t get too hung up on Sanskrit words, it has an energy, or Shakti, that is truly uplifting.

Join in with gusto next time you have the opportunity!

We chant at our monthly satsangs, and sometimes at other times too. Why not come along and give it a go?

Here’s an article that describes some scientific benefits of chanting, and how it can have a similar affect to intoxication – but without the chemicals!

http://thebhaktibeat.com/news-alert-scientists-identify-rare-brain-disorder-linked-to-kirtan-chanting/

Do you think you are no good at meditation?

Are you someone who perhaps quite likes a bit of quiet at the start and finish of your yoga class, but secretly thinks you are ‘no good’ at meditation?

Or perhaps you don’t come to yoga at all and have tried to meditate and think you are just no good at it?

This post is for you … read on!

(If you are someone who thinks being still is a waste of valuable time, or just more than impossibly hard, well stay with me - but you are probably not even reading anyway.)

Do you think your mind is just the sort of mind that never shuts up?

Perhaps you read my New Year blog and think well ‘inner wisdom’ is all very well for YOU, but I’m not sure I have any of that?

Don’t worry, I used to think I was pretty hopeless at it too. And a very long time ago I couldn’t even really see the point of meditation at all.

After all, the mind is built to create thoughts, and some of us have minds that do that oh so very well! And isn’t it good to have a mind? (Yes it is, the mind is a wonderful tool. But it doesn’t always serve us well, and it is fine to put it aside to get the benefits of meditation**.)

Let me tell you that meditation is definitely available to you.*

Oh are you feeling skeptical? You are different? 

Afterall you have so many things to worry about, plan, juggle, you have had all this crap in your life. It would be different if this hadn’t happened or that hadn’t happened or if that difficult person was a bit more reasonable or if you hadn’t suffered such hardships?  

Shockingly enough everyone has some crappy stuff to deal with, (yes it is true some would be construed as more crappy than others) and shockingly again in the big picture you are just not that special you know! And neither am ‘I’, yes it is shocking  isn’t it?

The thing is, it is the nature of the mind to create thoughts. That’s just what minds do. And we can’t really grasp meditation with the mind. We have to put the mind to one side, so to speak, to meditate. 

The good news is that there are TOOLS that are a bridge from an ordinary thinking mind state, to a meditative state.

So instead of just having to sit there and battle with thoughts, there are ways to lull the mind into a quieter state, so that it is easier for you to meditate.

These tools are concentration techniques, ways of focusing and steadying the mind. In Swami Shantananda’s wonderful 8 Steps to Stillness Learn to Meditate course (that she teaches in Blackburn South and I teach in Mt Waverley) we explore and practice a number of these tools. Things like breath focus, noticing body sensations, and mantra. Because we all learn differently, and have different preferences, we may find the technique that is best for us, but it is really good mental discipline to try them all. 

It requires discipline. But gentleness as well. There is a saying that in meditation you treat your mind like you would treat a small child. Be firm, but kind. And there’s another saying about meditation that I like too:

‘You can read all you like about meditation, but the benefit comes with the actual practice.’

There is something to be said about joining a group for meditation. The combined discipline and feel of the group can be wonderful incentive to keep up your practice when you are tempted to give up. Yes it is hard, in fact some people have told me that learning to meditate is the hardest thing they have ever done! But not one person has ever said that they are sorry that they learned the techniques, or that they didn’t get any benefits. Once you start, it definitely gets easier and before you know it you look forward to your meditation time.

So, if you want some tools and support, join a group or a class that practices still mind meditation. You won’t regret it. Or just find a spot and meditate. 20 minutes a day is a good way to start. Go on, do it!

Let me know how you go. 

*If you have a serious mental illness, check with your specialist before embarking on a meditation practice.

** Unless you have been hiding under a bushel, you will have heard some of the benefits of meditation. In no particular order, here’s just a few:

·          Reduced blood pressure

·          Reduced stress and therefore affects of the stress response in the body

·          Healing

·          Feelings of peace and calm and inner quiet and steadiness that eventually stay with you

·          Improved capacity to cope with the ups and downs of life

·          Feelings of centredness, connectedness and love

·          Ability to quietly observe without being drawn in to every drama

·          Fresh outlook on life (yes even the same old life)

·          Access to inner wisdom or intuition

·          Acceptance of self as individual within and as the whole

Here's a link about the 8 Steps to Stillness Learn to Meditate course and ongoing meditation at Waverley Yoga Studio: http://www.waverleyyoga.com.au/meditation.html

Here's the link to Swami Shantananada's Reflections: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au