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| Some pears in my yard growing nicely in this glorious summer weather. |
I had two really fun classes in the last couple weeks. Thank you ladies at Spirit of Women workshop and Tools for Stress Relief class; it was really fun to hang out with all of you!
One of the topics we covered at the Spirit of Women (spirit-of-women) gathering was mindfulness. Mindfulness can seem vague or overwhelming, but it is very simple, really. It involves paying very close attention to what your body is feeling in the moment. That’s it, really.
Before I had children, I was lucky enough to do silent meditation retreats that lasted for 10 days twice a year through my late 20’s. They were challenging and amazing. I even traveled to India for several months and mid-trip I did a silent retreat in a Buddhist monetary surrounded by Buddhist monks, nuns and rescued street dogs.
After the first few days of agonizing sleep sitting up while trying to meditate; (I always had sleep to catch up on!) we would meditate most of the day, being aware of the breath and the sensations in the body. We were not allowed to speak to anyone so the pressure of socializing and chit chat was gone. Food was taken care of and we did our chores silently. It allowed for one to really become aware of the body and of the chattering mind. In mindfulness you treat the thoughts of the mind like you would clouds passing across the sky. Don’t get attached, just let them float by, noticing them without judgement and letting them go. After 10 days I would be in a state of harmony and peace, aware of each moment (except when I wasn’t or was home-sick or distracted :))
When I came home to my regular life from the 10 days of silent retreat I would often be frustrated because I couldn’t re-create that level of incandescent awareness of the moments in my busy life. Then I realized that using my five senses to really feel and appreciate where I am and and what I’m doing brings its own level of peace and awareness.
Mindfulness really is simple and healing. Here’s a link to a great article that goes into different ways of practicing and mentions some health benefits of mindfulness.
/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm
Firstly was “general well being”, which sounds pretty great, but then also
- help relieve stress
- treat heart disease
- lower blood pressure
- reduce chronic pain
- improve sleep
- alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties
- depression
- substance abuse
- eating disorders
- couples’ conflicts
- anxiety disorders
- obsessive-compulsive disorder”
Well, that’s quite convincing.
In being really present to the moment you also slow down time. Instead of rushing through a day (waiting to get to the end when you can finally rest!); if you allow yourself to savor the moments of your day and be exquisitely present you create more memories and more appreciation and really do slow the speed of life going by.
In our workshop we used the tools of tapping and essential oils to help us be mindful. The tapping can help with the ache of sadness, loss, anger or loneliness that we often feel when we settle in and are really present in the moment. There are many reasons we run from one thing to another and one of them is that it feels bad to sit sit still and feel our feelings. EFT/Tapping helps to process and move through those feelings so that we don’t have to keep running. It gives us a tool to deal with that sad/sick feeling we might feel when all the chaos dies down and that is one reason why EFT is such a blessing. Once we tap through an issue or a feeling then we can feel the freedom and spaciousness that allow us to appreciate the moment we are in. (Here’s a link to the tapping points if you forgot them 🙂 http://crowladyhealing.com/the-tapping-points)
And the beautiful essential oils help us be present because they give us a way to really feel the body, revel in the sense of smell and notice how the smell makes us feel. Using essential oils also sort-of tricks us into being present because it’s like a treat or reward for taking the time to really be in the body. If you have oils placed around your home and life it gives you an easy way to step back and breathe deep as the day rushes by.
Mindfulness is simple and powerful and anyone can do it. I hope this newsletter inspires you to do it or do it more to make these marvelous summer days and nights longer and more memorable.
Email or call me with any questions or insights or feel free to leave a comment on the blog.
xoxoxo
Katherine
