Creative Guidance-IASbaba, Inspirational & Educative Articles
Art of Mindfulness:
The key to being mindful is learning how to move from the experience of the mind to the experience of the body. Your mind is always experiencing something – be it the past or the future – that is its very nature.
If you tell yourself, “Don’t experience the mind,” then your mind will ask, “What should I experience, if not the mind?” You have to force your mind to pay attention to your body. You have to keep reminding yourself to come to the body.
There is so much you can observe through the body: You can feel the sensations on your skin, you can feel your breath, you can feel the warmth of the sun, and you can feel the wind in your hair. You can pause and listen to all kinds of sounds around you; you can listen to the birds and insects, you can listen to some pleasant instrumental music, you can listen to people talking, you can listen to so many things that are happening right now!
You can use your body as a springboard to leap into awareness. Once you start paying attention to the experiences of the body, you will experience a totally different kind of joy. You will notice existence coming alive around you in a new way.
When your mind is busy thinking, you are nowhere to be found. Life is real only when you are fully available to the present moment. Real problems and real situations can be handled only when you are in the present moment. There is no greater suffering than being totally lost in thoughts, and not knowing how to step away from them. Watching the body and being mindful might not seem very important, but when your mind is racing and you are not able to control it, a simple habit of watching your body can make all the difference.
“This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Nirvana Foundation and IASBABA.”
