I'm taking a class called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts, it is basically a meditation class. This is the beginning of the 5th week out of 8 weeks. Over the course of the course, as it were, the teacher has offered up some good one-liners to help us. Here they are, so far.
- The mind can only be in one place at a time.
- You can only change in the present.
- Every thought is accompanied by a physiological response.
- Consciousness is contagious.
- Bring it back, baby! (the mind to the breath)
Meditation is simple and difficult. If you've ever tried it you know. Bringing my attention back to the feeling of my breath, over and over and over and over again. And again. Each time my focus comes back to the breath, thoughts roll off like water off a duck's back. For a fleeting moment I am in the present moment. Right here, right now. Then before you know it I'm off on a trail of thought again and I don't even notice it until I'm halfway to tomorrow. Oops, there I go again! Bring it back, baby!
Do that about a thousand times in ten minutes, and that's a meditation practice.
2 comments:
Sounds interesting. I'm a lot like you. I can meditate for short periods and then the ADD kicks in and I'm distracted.
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