#WednesdayMotivation ‘Be Still’ #Tanka #MorningMeditation #Mindfulness

I’m currently reading Mindfulness: an eight-week plan for finding peace in a frantic world, by Mark Williams and Danny Penman, and I’m doing their recommended One-Minute Meditation throughout the day. This Tanka is what happened this morning, immediately after my one-minute meditation.

Be Still

Watch grey clouds drift past,

wave goodbye, smile at blue sky

Sail on quiet lake,

Breathe, be still,

Welcome new day,

All is calm,

I am ready.

****

You may think a minute is not enough, but I assure you it is. And one minute, several times a day adds up, so that some of the one-minute meditations will gradually become five-minutes or more. Priceless minutes during which we can be still, breathe and connect with ourselves. Try it! Follow the simple instructions below.

This ia a really simple one-minute meditation anyone can do at any time of the day, although I recommend you try it first thing in the morning, and regularly throughout the day, especially, but not only, when you may feel stressed.

Here’s how it goes:

1. Sit erect in a straight-backed chair. If possible, bring your back a little way from the rear of the chair so that your spine is self supporting. Your feet can be flat on the floor. Close your eyes or
lower your gaze.
2. Focus your attention on your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Stay in touch with the different sensations of each in-breath and each out-breath. Observe the breath without looking
for anything special to happen. There is no need to alter your
breathing in any way.
3. After a while your mind may wander. When you notice this,
gently bring your attention back to your breath, without giving
yourself a hard time—the act of realizing that your mind has
wandered and bringing your attention back without criticizing
yourself is central to the practice of mindfulness meditation.
4. Your mind may eventually become calm like a still pond—or it
may not. Even if you get a sense of absolute stillness, it may
only be fleeting. If you feel angry or exasperated, notice that this
may be fleeting too. Whatever happens, just allow it to be as it
is.
5. After a minute, let your eyes open and take in the room again.

****

The key is focussing on your breathing, trying to ignore any negative feelings, but if they appear, that’s fine, watch them drift away away across the sky like a cloud, and then see the blue sky and still lake they leave behind.

Mindfulness is about observation without criticism; being compassionate with yourself. You are worth it. You are enough. You are ready.

Have a wonderful day!

You deserve it!