IF YOU ARE TOOOOOO BUSY...

Here are some ways to begin a regular meditation practice, and reduce stress, even with everything else that is happening in your life:

• If your family members are too noisy, you can wake up fifteen minutes before everyone else wakes up so that you can meditate when it is quiet.
• If you are too busy, just meditate for ten minutes, anytime throughout the day and be mindful that if you really are too busy, it is even more important to meditate so that you remain calm and focused during your busy day.
• If you travel often, you can meditate while you are waiting for the plane, or when you are on the plane, or in your hotel room before you unpack and get settled.
• If you have had a change in your routine, you can consider how you can fit meditation into your new routine. For example, if you are leaving the house earlier in the morning, perhaps you can meditate when you come home in the evening, before dinner or before bedtime.
• If you have been ill, it will be restorative to meditate when you feel that you can.
• If you have been caring for someone who is ill, meditation will provide a needed way to care for yourself.
• If your visitor is still with you, you can let him or her know how important your meditation practice is to you and then go outside for a walking meditation.

When our situations change it is easy to lose the momentum of a regular meditation practice. If we make our meditation practice a priority, we will find ways to meditate even if we are busy, if we travel, if our daily routines change, if we have been ill or have been taking care of someone who is ill.

And if we can figure out a way to meditate for thirty days, it will become a habit and easier to do no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

MEDITATION

We may sit down for meditation, and rather than focusing on our breath, or observing our thoughts, we start making a list of things to do – or we start thinking about what someone said or did that we reacted to with annoyance or irritability.

We spend a lot of time thinking about the past and/or worrying about the future.

So, what is it like to be in the present moment and how can stay there? We can practice being in the present moment by meditating – by sitting quietly and observing what is happening right here, right now.

The next time you sit down to meditate, ask yourself:

• “What am I experiencing right now in my body?
• What physical sensations am I experiencing?
• What is my mind focusing on?
• What am I experiencing in my thoughts? What emotions am I experiencing?
• What is the feeling tone right now?”

When we acknowledge our experiences, even if those experiences are uncomfortable, we are dwelling in the present moment, we are being mindful.

When, in meditation, we find ourselves making a list of things to do later or compulsively thinking about what our partner said last night, we can bring our attention to the breath as an anchor to bring us back to the present moment and create stillness and awareness.

When we learn to be in the present moment in meditation, we are more likely to live in the present moment when we are working, when we are with our families, when we are with our friends and when we are on our own.

Larry Rosenberg outlines five steps of meditation practice.

“Whenever possible:

1. Just do one thing at a time.

2. Pay full attention to what it is you are doing.

3. When the mind wanders from the present moment, bring it back.

4. Repeat step 3 several billion times!

5. Investigate your distractions.

And remember… meditation may be simple, but that does not mean it is easy!”

10 WAYS OF BETTER LIFE

When we think of changing our lives for the better, we may think of a new job, a new home, a new relationship, or material wealth – more “things” that we think will improve our lives.

Recently I saw a bumper sticker that read “the best things in life are not things” – it made me smile and I started thinking about ways to live a better life without looking for or wanting more stuff.

Here is my list:

1. Simplify – rather than desiring more, find ways to live with less. Bring clothing to Good Will or a charity. Clear away clutter from counter tops and tables. If you have not used something or worn something for a year – give it away.

2. Enjoy nature – nature soothes the psyche and lessens stress. If you are fortunate enough to live near nature, do not take it for granted. Rather than rushing to work in the morning, take a moment or two to enjoy the trees, ponds, streams, rivers and the sky. If you do not live near natural beauty, take a drive to a nearby lake or take a walk in the woods.

3. Enjoy the arts – whether you enjoy visual art, performance art or historical art – make it part of your life. Take time to visit museums, see a play, or go to a local gallery.

4. Cook at home – it can become a habit to eat fast food in transit to work or school and at restaurants for business lunches and dinners. Cooking at home is less expensive and often more healthy than food from restaurants.

5. Cook for friends – invite friends and family members to your home and prepare a meal together – it is such a lovely way to spend time with people you care for.

6. Bring mindfulness to work – in this culture of multi-tasking, we rush through our work without really enjoying what we do. Being mindful at work helps us to concentrate on one task at a time, and enjoy the sheer pleasure of being present to what we are doing.

7. Spend time with children. I was washing dishes with a four year old recently. It was fun to watch her enjoy running her hand under the water from the faucet and delighting in the bubbles from the dish washing liquid. Her laugh made me laugh, and we both had fun.

8. Focus on others rather than yourself. It is so easy to get caught up in our own needs. Find ways to help others – shovel snow from an elderly person’s walkway, bring a meal to a neighbor who is not feeling well or volunteer at the local SPCA.

9. Spend time with friends – make a conscious effort to remember this. Write notes in your calendar to call a friend and make time to do something together. Friendship is such a precious thing, so we should not take it for granted.

10. Do something creative – whether it is writing a poem or a short story, painting a picture or a room in your house, or taking a photograph. Doing something creative is energizing and makes life better.

So there you have it, ten ways to live a better life – non of which are expensive – but which will make you happier and your life better.