You can help your body heal by using your imagination. Here’s an audio meditation from the audiobook version of Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind. The meditation is designed to help cultivate healing energy in and around your body. Hope you enjoy!
Welcome to week six of “10 Weeks of Mindfulness at Work” where you’ll discover simple tips and techniques to enrich your day with mindfulness. I hope you find inspiration from this series!
– Not Knowing is Most Intimate
One of the concepts in mindfulness is that “not knowing is most intimate”. What this means is that no matter what happens in life, the intent with mindfulness is to see clearly what’s happening in the present moment and not add more content to it with predictions about what’s next. After all, what’s next is unknown.
Now, this doesn’t mean not to plan for the future; however, it does mean not to live into an imagined outcome about a future that hasn’t yet unfolded. As Mark Twain famously said, “I’m an old man and have known a great many troubles, most of which never happened.”
– People Like Predictability
“Not knowing” seems like an easy enough concept, but it can be challenging to practice. As I wrote in last week’s post, people often fill in gaps of unknown information with stories; it gives them a sense of control and predictability in their lives.
Consider someone who just had a medical diagnostic test. The entire week before getting the test results back, they’re sure they have the disease they were being tested for. They find it impossible to concentrate at work, since they keep planning for a future with this medical condition. Maybe they have the condition; maybe they don’t – but before they get their results, they simply don’t know.
So, if you find you’re stressed about what’s next, notice if you’re making predictions about the future and remind yourself you don’t know. Will the diagnostic test come back positive? Remind yourself, “I don’t know and it’s ok not to know.” Will I be able to juggle work responsibilities and medical appointments? Remind yourself, “I don’t know and it’s ok not to know.”
Any time you want to make a prediction about what’s next, simply remind yourself that the future is unknown. Rather than fill in gaps of unknown information with predictions about what next, simply repeat the refrain, “I don’t know and it’s ok not to know.”
Because the reality is that we simply don’t know what the next month will bring, or even the next hour or the next minute.
Reflection: Have you ever reacted to an imagined future outcome that never actually happened?
WEEK SIX PRACTICE SUGGESTION: Notice if you’re making a prediction about a future outcome. Instead, can you embrace the unknown?
**99¢ Special
Be on the lookout for a 99¢ Kindle promotion in July to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind,” a step-by-step book for beginning meditators. Available in Kindle, paperback and audiobook.
Welcome to week five of “10 Weeks of Mindfulness at Work” where you’ll discover simple tips and techniques to enrich your day with mindfulness. I hope you find inspiration from this series!
– Believing Your Stories
Have you ever told yourself a story that wasn’t true? I sure have. Early in my speaking career, I was thrilled to be the monthly speaker at a meeting of the National Association of Professional Saleswomen. Part way into the presentation, I introduced an exercise where each person blew up a balloon and then stomped on it.Â
As the air filled with the sounds of more than 100 bursting balloons – and the sounds of laughter — one woman scowled and shook her head in disapproval. My attention zeroed in on her as the voice in my head said, “She hates your presentation.” And of course, I believed that voice. I felt completely deflated.
– Objective Reality or Illusions?
Afterward, when everyone had filed out of the room, she approached me. I’ll never forget her words, as she said, “I loved your message, but the noise of the balloons breaking was so loud, it reminded me of my difficult childhood, growing up in a violent neighborhood.” Wow. Her reaction had nothing to do with me; yet, I created a story in my mind where it had everything to do with me.
Now, we all create stories in our minds; it’s the way we make sense of the world. Yet, often people fill in gaps of missing details with stories that may seem like objective reality, when they’re actually just illusions.Â
For instance, if your manager calls you into a special meeting, does your mind spin with stories beforehand? Perhaps you’re worried about being reprimanded, demoted or even being fired.
– Noticing Your STUFF
Mindfulness helps you notice your STUFF — The Stories, Thoughts, Urges, Frustrations and Feelings that cycle in the mind. This awareness enables you to realize, “I’m telling myself a story which may or may not be true.”
Noticing your stories can be very freeing. Rather than getting lost in the emotion of an outcome which is unknown at this point, you are living in the immediacy of the present moment. As the magnet on my refrigerator wisely states, “Don’t believe everything you think.”
Reflection: Have you ever reacted to a story that turned out not to be true?
WEEK FIVE PRACTICE SUGGESTION: Notice the stories you tell yourself. Are they true? Are they useful?
**Celebrating a 10th Anniversary
Be on the lookout for a 99¢ Kindle promotion in July to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind,” a step-by-step book for beginning meditators. Available in Kindle, paperback and audiobook.
Welcome to week four of “10 Weeks of Mindfulness at Work” where you’ll discover simple tips and techniques to enrich your day with mindfulness. I hope you find inspiration from this series!
– A Restless Monkey and a Wild Horse
Nineteenth-century Indian mystic, Swami Vivekananda, wrote of the rampant activity of the mind, comparing it to that of a “restless monkey that becomes drunk and then is bitten by a scorpion.”
I love that image! I also love image of the untrained mind like a wild horse, as in this old story: A man, attempting to ride a wild horse, gallops past a farmer. The farmer shouts to the rider, “Where are you going?” The rider shouts back, “Don’t ask me, ask the horse!”
– Training Yourself to Be Mindful
The good news is that you can learn to train that horse (your mind), enabling you to direct it where you want it to go, rather than letting it run wild.
When you train yourself to be mindful, you’re learning to focus on the immediacy of the present moment, rather than being tossed about by your “STUFF” — an acronym I use for Stories, Thoughts, Urges, Frustrations and Feelings.
Like learning any new skill, it takes time and practice to become mindful. But your brain has neuroplasticity, or the ability to form new neural pathways and learn new ways of being in the world.
– Becoming Less Reactive
Developing mindfulness has so many benefits, both personally and professionally. For one, it helps you become less reactive, as if you’re putting a space between life and your response to life.
That extra space can be quite handy. For instance, let’s say you’re at work and your colleague sends you an email at the end of the day. You don’t like the tone of his email; you feel anger rising in you as you read his message. Your fingers take to the keyboard to fire back a response, giving your co-worker a piece of your mind.
But wait! Here’s where mindfulness comes in. You notice your reaction. You realize you don’t have to respond to his email immediately. You decide to wait until morning, when you can view the situation with a fresh outlook. This is the power of mindfulness. The power of adding space. The power of responding consciously, rather than reacting unconsciously.
Reflection:
-Have you ever added space between life and your response to life?
-How about your mind, does the restless monkey or wild horse comparison resonate with you?
WEEK FOUR PRACTICE SUGGESTION: Notice the activity of your mind. Is it restless? Can you add “space” before responding to events?
**99¢ Special
Be on the lookout for a 99¢ Kindle promotion in July to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind,” a step-by-step book for beginning meditators. Available in Kindle, paperback and audiobook.
Welcome to week three of “10 Weeks of Mindfulness at Work” where you’ll discover simple tips and techniques to enrich your day with mindfulness. I hope you find inspiration from this 10-week series!
– How to Meditate
Meditation is a proven way to become mindful. To practice, set a timer for a few minutes and follow these simple steps for a short meditation break at work — or anywhere else you’d like!
Step #1. Sit up straight, without being rigid. Keep your spine aligned with your head and neck. Gently close your eyes. Try to release physical tension, keeping your body relaxed but your mind alert. (Note: see Week 2 of this series for tips on releasing physical tension.)
Step #2. Choose an anchor — a neutral object to focus on that doesn’t stimulate your mind. Examples of commonly used anchors are: your breath; the feeling of your body; a word repeated silently, such as “peace”; sounds, such as ocean waves; or an object to hold, such as a smooth stone.
Step #3. Rest your attention on your anchor. Every time your mind wanders, often each second or two for beginners, gently refocus on your anchor. Continue refocusing on your anchor for the rest of your practice time.
– Exercising Your Mind’s Muscle
Meditation is a practice of returning to your immediate experience in the present moment. Again and again and again. Notice when your attention wanders, and then return your attention to your anchor, as in Step #3 above.
This process is key to the practice of meditation, since it exercises your mind’s “muscle.” Just as the repetitive motion of abdominal crunches can build your core strength, the repetitive noticing and returning builds your power of awareness.
– Accepting Your Wandering Mind
Meditation isn’t a practice of stopping your thoughts. Thoughts will continue to arise, since it’s the nature of the mind to generate STUFF (an acronym I use for Stories, Thoughts, Urges, Frustrations and Feelings).
The intent of meditation isn’t to suppress thoughts and feelings. Consider anything that draws attention from your anchor to be like a cloud passing or like a boat floating by as you watch from the riverbank. Allow it to pass without judgment, and gently refocus on your anchor. The repetitive action of refocusing trains you to become mindful.
WEEK THREE PRACTICE SUGGESTION: Focus on just three breaths (or more if you’d like). Notice your chest or belly rising and falling — or the coolness of the air as you breathe in and its warmth as you breathe out. If your mind wanders, gently refocus on your breath, without judgment or internal comment.
**Celebrating a 10th Anniversary
Be on the lookout for a 99¢ Kindle promotion in July to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind,” a step-by-step book for beginning meditators. Available in Kindle, paperback and audiobook.
Welcome to week two of “10 Weeks of Mindfulness at Work” where you’ll discover simple tips and techniques to enrich your day with mindfulness. I hope you find inspiration from this 10-week series!
– Starting with the Body
During my college years, I volunteered on a crisis-intervention telephone hotline. One evening, a preteen girl called, crying uncontrollably. She had just run away from home. Thankfully, she called the hotline, and thankfully she agreed to do a Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercise with me. As she began to release tension in her body, her breathing slowed and her mind settled — enabling us to discuss her next steps.
– Shifting from Unconscious to Conscious
This exercise helped her relax, since it enabled her to become aware of the difference between how a muscle feels when it’s tensed vs. how a muscle feels when it’s relaxed. As the old saying goes, “If you can name it, you can tame it.”
But awareness of the body doesn’t always come naturally. People often ignore their bodies and instead, solely focus on the STUFF (Stories, Thoughts, Urges, Frustrations, Feelings) in their minds — like their head is a balloon with a knot tied at their throat, and that’s where consciousness ends.
The Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercise gives you a tool to “untie the knot” and bring consciousness to your entire body. Try this while sitting in a chair for a short relaxation break during the day — or while lying in bed to help you sleep at night.
– Using a Simple Tool to Reduce Stress
To practice, start with your feet and work your way up to the top of your head. (Alternatively, start with the top of your head and work your way down to your feet.) Tense each muscle group for about five seconds, and then release it completely. Be careful not to strain. Pay attention to your muscles and notice how they feel tensed vs. relaxed. If you’d like, repeat tensing the muscle group a second time. Then move on to the next muscle group until you’ve relaxed your entire body.
Any time your mind wanders, gently bring it back to noticing how your body feels. Take as much time as needed.
When you’ve finished practicing, try to develop a muscle memory of how it feels to relax, so you can call on this memory in the days and months ahead.
WEEK TWO PRACTICE SUGGESTION: Try a Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercise at work or home. Here’s a guided version on the Insight Timer app.
** 99¢ Special
Be on the lookout for a 99¢ Kindle promotion in July to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind, a step-by-step book for beginning meditators. Available in Kindle, paperback and audiobook.