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Living Mindfully

By Trina Ford

I once read a bumper sticker that said, “Meditation: It’s Not What You Think.” At that time, I was preparing to teach a meditation class at one of the local colleges during the late 80s. I wondered, “How can I teach meditation without using the word ‘meditate’?” I really wasn’t sure how I could get to the point without one thinking it was some “way out” method to drain the mind of all thoughts. Then the bumper sticker… “Meditation: It's Not What You Think" And that is how I began the class. I asked everyone what that statement meant to them—and I have been teaching meditation and mindfulness awareness ever since.

In the last couple of years I have been working with integrative methods of healing through mindfulness, realizing this is the gift of the present moment. When we are in ‘this’ moment, truly, all is well. As a certified integrative health coach and experienced meditator, I decided to take Duke University’s Mindfulness Training for Professionals class taught by Dr. Jeff Brantley. This is based on Dr. Jon Kabatt Zinn’s mindfulness-based stress reduction program. I realized this was the link that I had been looking for in teaching meditation. Living mindfully means taking our everyday experiences and living them fully; whether we are deeply saddened or joyfully happy, we are fully present for it.

Mindful Awareness: Is a connection with the presence. The NOW. Fully aware of this moment. Like a beautiful red apple smooth to the hand; as you take a bite you taste and hear the crisp juicy-ness, now a fragrance blooming. This is mindful awareness at its best.
What it is: presence, clarity, peaceful, calm, acceptance, non-striving, non-Judging, kind, compassionate
What it is not: judging, striving, empty mind, mindless chatter, anxious, past and future

Simple Practice

5 minute Method: Find a comfortable place to be without disturbance for just 5 minutes. Sitting in a comfortable chair or on the floor, take a deep breath. Allow everything you are feeling to be there; acknowledge the posture, feel the breath, acknowledge any thought. It is all ok.

We all do it; even long time meditators have those waves of thought. Letting them pass is the practice.

Begin now by letting go with every exhale. Nothing to hold on to, just moving into the moment. No judgment. Exhale and let go of one sensation, one thought, one memory at a time. We all have thoughts; we all have feelings. This isn’t about erasing them. This is about acknowledgment, acceptance and moving on .

Memory or stories come to mind: acknowledge, accept, move on. Feelings: acknowledge, accept, move on. Thoughts? Acknowledge, accept, move on. Sounds: acknowledge, accept, move on. Continue for just 5 minutes. You will be amazed at the effects of accepting what is. You will be liberated by mindful awareness.
Helpful Hint: Set your clock or phone alarm on a soft joyful tone to let you know when 5 minutes is up.
 

May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you live with ease!
Trina
http://integrativehealthnow.com Check out Trina's refreshing website for more information about health coaching and mindfulness.
http://www.integrativebodyworks.com Trina is master of the connections among body fatigue, mind, and natural remedies

 

This article appears in the Spring 2011 issue of Sashay Magazine

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