Developing
Mindfulness
by Catherine
Sutton
In order to gain more insight into
what we are doing and why, it is important to develop a quality of mindfulness.
Increased awareness brings greater equanimity into our lives.
Mindfulness is about developing a
continuous awareness of all the tasks we do and the thoughts we have during the
course of a normal day. We should pay the most attention to what we do
automatically — like drinking a cup of tea, going to the lavatory, washing the
dishes, running up and down stairs. So often we do not have our minds on what we
are doing — our bodies are doing one thing and our minds are on a totally
different tack, which creates disharmony. In order to turn off our “automatic
pilot”, we need to develop more awareness of what we are doing, to do things
more slowly, so that we can see each part of the routine action more clearly.
Try doing tasks as though for the first time, so that they require your full
concentration.
How often do you get to the top of
the stairs and do not remember why you went up there in the first place? Have
you ever overslept for ten minutes, got up in a rush, and spent the rest of the
day catching up? If we become conscious of each change and reaction that takes
place in the body, we can see things as they arise rather than after they have
happened.
Exercise in
Mindfulness
Choose something you do without
thinking regularly during the day — such as making a cup of coffee. Start by
making a resolution that you are going to follow through this exercise without
interruptions. Do it with careful attention, very slowly, and notice each part
of the task as you do it. See how easy it is to speed up again as you forget
that you are trying to do it slowly!
Take the kettle and fill it with
water, turning the tap on slowly, turning it off with great caution. Place the
kettle back on the stove without a bump; wait for it to boil. Don’t go off and
do ten jobs while it comes to the boil. Take out your cup and place the coffee
filter into it and very carefully pour the water onto it. Wait for it to drip
for the required amount of time, and then put the filter in the trash can. Walk
slowly over to the refrigerator, open the door carefully, take out the milk and
close the door. Walk back to the cup and pour in the milk as slowly as you can,
and then return it to the refrigerator.
Sit down. Wait. Pick up the cup
carefully, as though it would break if you touched it forcefully. Bring the cup
to your mouth very slowly. Sip the coffee and really taste it, feel the texture
of it, notice the temperature of it. Place the cup down, wait, pause, pick it up
again and continue like this until you have finished. Notice how often during
this simple routine your mind wanders on to something else.
Be aware of:
• your impatience at the slow
speed,
• what it feels like to be
attentive to this task,
• how often your mind wanders off
elsewhere.
If you do this a number of times,
you will recognize that we spend very little time in the present. So much of the
day is spent doing things physically, while the mind is somewhere else, leading
to confusion, forgetfulness, and a feeling of not being in control.
Other ways of developing
mindfulness are to listen to ourselves and to ask:
• what am I doing?
• why am I doing it?
• do I listen well to
others?
Reflect inward more frequently and
check in to what is going on inside. Try to make space between tasks that you
do, consciously completing one before you start the next. Finish the day by
recapping what you have done during the day.
 This article was excerpted with permission from:
"Discover Shiatsu" by Catherine Sutton, published by Ulysses Press.
Ulysses Press/Seastone
Books are available at bookstores throughout the US, Canada, and the UK, or can
be ordered directly from Ulysses Press by calling 800-377-2542, faxing
510-601-8307, or writing to Ulysses Press, PO Box 3440, Berkeley, CA 94703,
email
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Their website is http://www.ulyssespress.com
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About The
Author
Catherine Sutton runs a private shiatsu
clinic in Dublin, Ireland. This article was excerpted with permission from
"Discover Shiatsu" published by Ulysses Press. Ulysses Press/Seastone
Books are available at bookstores throughout the US, Canada, and the UK, or can
be ordered directly from Ulysses Press by calling 800-377-2542, faxing
510-601-8307, or writing to Ulysses Press, PO Box 3440, Berkeley, CA 94703,
email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Their website is http://www.ulyssespress.com
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