Some mindfulness encouragement

Here's a re-post from a few years ago that I thought would bear repeating:

If you're constantly thinking about what you'd rather be doing—getting off work, driving a different car, or eating dessert, your mind is starving for mindfulness. So what? Well, if you're reading an instant message and talking on your cell phone while thinking about things you need to get at the store, you're not doing any of these things fully—and essentially, you're missing out on your own life.

The antidote? Mindfulness. Mindfulness is a quality you can cultivate in any situation—whether you're walking down the street or washing the dishes... In mindfulness meditation you stop the restlessness of your mind by focusing your undivided attention on whatever you're experiencing in the here and now. The simplest version involves simply focusing on your breath. By enhancing your awareness in this way, you calm your mind, experience life more fully, and bring new clarity of thought to any situation that comes your way.

-- From the Beliefnet meditation page

Something about change

A friend sent this to me by email today:

I'm very moved by this

And I'm definitely going to try it!
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Keeping calm

I do very much love all the spin-offs from the famous World War II "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster. Here's one that's great for us meditators!

Every breath

Someone posted this on facebook and I think it's very beautiful.

Monday meditative picture bloggin

Found on facebook:

Meditation and accomplishment

I have found this to be very true:

"Some people think that meditation takes time away from physical accomplishment. Taken to extremes, of course, that's true. Most people, however, find that meditation creates more time than it takes." 

- Peter McWilliams

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Bringing mindfulness into just this moment

This is an excellent little video.

My only comment is that I would recommend lowering but not completely closing your eyes. There are many reasons for this approach rather than complete eye closure, the main ones being that closing the eyes makes it more likely that we'll go to sleep or slip into a trance.