I have this quote pinned to the board above my desk at work…
“Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realise there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you”
~ Lao Tzu
We need to remember to be grateful for what we have, and appreciate the present moment.
Tagged Quote, Thought
Image by Daniel John Buchanan
Snuggled up warm with a good book, no TV, no Internet, just a stove to boil tea and a fire to keep me warm. Complete darkness and silence when I want to sleep, and fresh air and bright light to help wake me up in the morning. I could really do with retreating to this cabin at the moment…
I’ve been away from this blog for a while, because I have been too embarrassed to post and admit that I haven’t been doing anything to achieve a calmer life. I haven’t been meditating, I’ve neglected my yoga practice and my anxiety has come back full force. Starting a new job, transitioning to life post-university and dealing with other personal issues has lead to stress and panic. So, very simply I haven’t wanted to sit with or meditate on my feelings recently, let alone write about it!
Today however, out of the blue, I felt compelled to come back here. Back to my little neglected blog. I have decided to take a different approach. This will still, slowly but surely, document my path to greater awareness and mindfulness, but it will also be my little online refuge where I can post beautiful pictures and inspirational articles/quotes that I find.
This is the first of these posts, my little cabin in the snow…
Tagged Calm, Inspiration, Obstacles, Photos, Practice, RefugeIt’s so easy to fall back into old habits. After being overseas for three months, I was determined to get home and continue my newly formed meditation habit and keep up this little blog. I saw myself waking up early, making a cup of tea and and savouring the early morning quiet. This would be followed by a half hour meditation, which would leave me refreshed and ready to start the day. I thought I could come home after work and spend half an hour to an hour writing a thoughtful and possibly helpful blog post, related to my experience that morning.
Alas (I love that word, old fashioned but it fits don’t you think?) it wasn’t quite that simple. I got home two and a half months ago and so far I’ve meditated on my own at home a grand total of… twice.
Now, a few weeks ago I decided that this blog was silly, I can’t add anything useful/insightful/new in any way and I haven’t meditated in who knows how long. However, this morning I am inspired. I mean, this is reality right? Finding time to meditate around a full time job is tricky! So, maybe I do have something to add, maybe my journey to regular meditation practice will be useful for someone. If I can provide at least one person with a good read, or inspire someone to start meditating, then this blog will be worth it.
Yet, that’s not the only nagging doubt holding me back from writing more regularly. There’s a dash of laziness on my part too, and a whole heap of self doubt and insecurity. Yep, the perfectionist’s conundrum once again – I am afraid to try to maintain a blog and write regularly, because I am sure that I won’t do it well and I will fail. I know I’m not the greatest writer in the world, and this stops me from writing at all. Since I have arrived home this big dark pool of harsh self-criticism and doubt has stood between me and my desire to keep this blog going.
Time for a change methinks.
Action plan!
I asked myself…
What can I do to become a better writer?
- Write more! Practice makes perfect may sound clichéd but its true.
How will I know if I have anything meaningful to add to the blogosphere?
- I won’t know until I try
How can I get over this nagging fear of failure?
- Give it a try and see what happens
How can I still stay a little bit in the shadows?
- Write this blog anonymously.
So the plan is:
For anyone stopping by and reading this, thank you! As I start to post more I would love any constructive criticism/advice you have.
I tried this about a week ago and found it both soothing and uplifting! Here is a step by step of how I used this meditation technique:
1. Sit somewhere quiet and calm, bring the attention to your breath
2. Focus on your heart centre (about four finger-widths down from your collar-bone)
3. Visualise a small flame at your heart centre
4. Gradually, focusing on your breathing, visualise this flame expanding and growing until it becomes a strong, bright, intense white light
5. Let this white light expand to fill your entire body. Watch it travel to your toes, and up to your forehead
6. This light is peaceful, beautiful, pure white
7. Maintain your breathing and focus for 10 minutes.
Hope you enjoy this! I found myself smiling for the rest of the day!
I have recently returned to Sydney, Australia, after months away in the USA. I am now emerging out of my jet lag induced haze and have finally caught up with most of my friends and family, so will be back to write a post soon!
In the mean time, I love this marshmallow cloud…
…the sky in Sydney today is full of clouds like these, they always make me smile!
I’ll leave you with a reminder from a close friend I had waiting for me on a note at home when I arrived – “Breathe deep… Seek peace.”
Compassion and loving-kindness are central tenets of Buddhism. Just last year a study from the University of Wisconsin indicated that regular practice of compassion and focus on cultivating loving-kindness could rewire our brains for the better. By developing our empathy and compassion we can reduce stress and anger and increase our overall contentment. Learning to generate compassion for those around us can help us find peace.
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama
So how do we cultivate compassion? How do we develop our sense of loving-kindness? The Buddhist scriptures encourage us to spend time meditating on the concept of loving-kindness. First we must cultivate a sense of love for ourselves, then for friends, those we don’t know, those we don’t like and eventually we can wish well-being and freedom from suffering for the universe in general. Directing love towards someone who has mistreated us, or someone towards whom we feel anger or resentment, is very difficult. However, this can be achieved, little by little, step by step.
This is a meditation on loving-kindness I tried this afternoon:
You might experience a warm feeling from your chest, and maybe you will smile. At this point, you can direct your thoughts towards a friend. Repeat the phrases above to yourself, but make your friend the object of your focus, wish them happiness and loving-kindness.
Next, call to mind someone you don’t know but you have encountered recently, a ‘neutral’ – such as a bus driver, checkout clerk or even someone you passed on the street. Repeat the exercise with this person in mind. After this, if you feel that you can, direct these same thoughts to someone you don’t like particularly, a person who makes you angry or sad. (Best not to choose anyone who you dislike too much straight away, don’t choose the person who wrecked your life or really hurt you as this may be too tough at first. Eventually, and finally, direct these phrases towards everyone. May everybody be happy and free, may everybody experience peace and contentment.
I hope this practice is as uplifting for you as it was for me. Does anyone have any other advice about cultivating compassion? How often do you try to practice loving-kindness?
References:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326204236.htm
http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/subnav/kindness.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/metta_in.htm
Tagged How to, In the news, Meditation, Practice
Photo by ~~johnny~~
Do you prefer to meditate in the morning or the evening?
I’m just getting into a regular practice, but I am yet to find a consistent time. It doesn’t help that I’m on holiday at the moment so my days tend to blur into one!
When I return home I want to establish more of a routine. Does anyone have any advice for me? Should I establish a routine or is it best to sit when I can, no matter what time it is? If it is best to pick a time of day and stick to it, is morning or evening preferable?
I find in the mornings it takes me a while to wake up, so I’m not sure if I could sit still for 10 minutes without dozing off…Then again, similarly if I leave it until the evening I might find I’m too exhausted to concentrate! Hmm, these both sound like excuses, I could probably make either time slot work for me.
Am I over thinking this entirely?
Tagged Beginners, How to, Meditation, PracticeDo one thing at a time, do it slowly and do it well. It’s so easy to get caught up in a frantic, multi-tasking mindset. It seems productive at the time, but truthfully, doing one thing well and devoting your full attention to it will serve you better in the long run.
I know I get swept up thinking everything needs to be done right now, everything, at the same time. I end up switching on the TV and accomplishing nothing. Life exists one moment at a time, and we can learn to use each moment wisely by devoting it to one task, one thought. Being aware that we are alive, in the present, in each moment is the first step. Mindful awareness takes practice, it takes concentration. This journey I am on will hopefully help me be more aware, more mindful, more present and therefore, more alive.
“Life can only be found in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life” – Thich Nhat Hanh
(I realise I have quoted Thich Nhat Hanh a few times recently, but his books about mindfulness and meditation have been invaluable resources for me!)
Tagged MindfulnessI’m currently on holiday in Colorado, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Rocky Mountains. I thought I’d share a few photos I took yesterday, while I was out skiing out in Blue Sky Basin, Vail, taking in the stunning views.
This is a view from the top of Vail Mountain looking out towards Blue Sky Basin:
The run called Grand Review:
On the other side of Blue Sky is a scary lip into the bowl that I’m not keen to trying skiing over!
Finally, here I am on a run called The Star:
I hope you like these, I’ll try and take some more before we leave next week! I love skiing, I find it very calming. I also think it forces you to practice mindfulness and stay in the moment – if you’re mind wanders too much you’re likely to fall over! Concentrating on moving from one turn to the next, then the next and so on, is surprisingly meditative. A lot more work for your knees and thighs though! Today I took the day off to rest, write this post and take my time over a delicious hot chocolate. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be up here enjoying this.
Tagged Inspiration, Photos