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One minute Meditations for
a Happier Life
by Shirley Ryan
Meditation has been used for centuries to train the mind, and the list
for its uses are extensive. Not only does meditation increase
wellness in general, it reduces stress, anxieties and cultivates positive
emotions. In addition, with consistent use, it reshapes the cortex of
the brain resulting in an increase in attention span, sharpening of focus
and improved memory.
Sounds like just what the doctor ordered you say? But practically, how
does one fit this into a busy schedule? Meditation using mindfulness is
the most practical way to meditate. In the simple act of training
ourselves to become more aware by slowing down our sense of time passing,
we can learn to monitor our moods and thoughts before they spiral downward.
We can, in other words, make ourselves happier. Simply being mindful
(paying attention) during your daily activities is a kind of mediation.
This kind of meditation is being in the moment, exercising a
set of mental activities that sees things with impartial watchfulness.
It does not take sides. A mindful meditator is both participant and observer.
It is observing all phenomena - physical, mental or emotional - whatever
is presently taking place in the mind. Ever eat an orange and really
savor the process from peeling through tasting it? Let’s see how
mindfulness works.
Behold (without judgment) the beauty of the orange
as you hold it up to the light and witness the color, moving it to
your nose to breathe in the sent of the rind itself. Perfect
roundness rolls over your fingertips as the sphere moves from your
left to your right hand. Feel the dibbled texture as it slides over
your fingertips. All of your senses are alive as you hear the peel
pull away from the skin. A cool spray of juice prickles your skin as
the sent of the orange creates an aroma that makes your mouth water.
Pull the segments apart and bite into it letting the juice run into
your mouth. Savor the sweet liquid as it becomes a part of your awareness.
This is mindfully eating an orange with full awareness of its presence
in your life. The process of mindfulness is simply short bursts of
attention to one thing. We do this normally in our everyday life. As
you begin to assimilate the process, and become more proficient the
attention moves to all things.
Some tips for meditation using mindfulness:
- Choose one simple thing a day that you can spend time
with to give your full attention. (Start with something easy like:
washing dishes or the car, deadheading plants, folding towels, brushing
the dog, running, making a sandwich, eating anything, brushing teeth,
etc.)
- Make an appointment with yourself for this practice.
(Later you can just spontaneously choose, but for now set a time in
your calendar or it will not happen.)
- Tell someone that you are practicing meditation in
short spurts once a day. (This commits you to the process and sets
the stage for you to change your behavior and view of yourself.)
- While you wait for this time, practice breathing into
the diaphragm in one minute intervals. Cleansing breathwork is an anchor
to the present moment and an important part of being healthy. Breathe
into the place between your ribs and navel. (Stop lights are a great
place to practice this.)
- Stretch regularly while sitting
(Turn your neck as far as possible from side to side and up and down.),
and standing (Reach to the ceiling.).
- When the time comes, use all of your senses: sight,
smell, hearing, touch, taste (if appropriate), and intuition.
- Experience the object without judgment--just observe.
(Soapy hand, slippery, wet, silky, warm water, etc.)
- Detach from whatever you are seeing or hearing--it
just is and nothing more.
- Nothing is excluded, thoughts,
distractions, sounds, images, ideas, or feelings that arise, everything
is welcomed. We
simply allow whatever is there to be.
- Consistently observe with bare attention both
the breath and every mental phenomenon. Time is different now as
it slows down our sense of its passing. This gives a rare opportunity
to see the world and ourselves differently and to choose how we feel
and act.
Mindful meditation is a good choice to develop a greater sense of self
awareness and of how we fit within the universe. The universe responds
favorably to the attention to your life, and the attention to all of
its gifts to you.
Shirley
Ryan was led to create the book Searching for
the Waters of Antiquity a meditation tool, and a unique
integration of her extensive career experience and her skills
of painting and meditation. She is also the founder and president
of Working Together, a business specializing in managing life’s
changes in Mind, Body & Spirit through the coaching process. She
has worked as a professional life coach since 1994.
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