Learning to Live in the Present #Mindfulness4Lent
It's that time of year again as the season of Lent approaches! What is Lent? check out the following link for more details... http://www.upperroom.org/lent101. Lent officially begins March 1st (My Birthday woo hooo!) but I like to get people thinking about it ahead of time to see if it's something they might want to participate in.
Every year I use Lent as a time to practice some type of discipline in my life. Usually, I spend a month before Lent praying and asking God to fill my thoughts with a specific theme to focus on. Every year, God makes it pretty obvious what I am supposed to to do. For example, last year I used it as a time to practice vulnerability which involved a social media challenge #Vulnerability4Lent http://samtidball.blogspot.com/2016/04/what-i-learned-from-40-days-of.html.
So I asked God to put a theme on my heart once again. I noticed that God likes to speak to me in threes. Here's what I mean...
My First Revelation looked like this... A month ago while my husband was out of town, I randomly tried Yoga. I tried it once years ago and literally fell over laughing because I thought it was so ridiculous and just "not my thing." However, I gave it another try and this time I LOVED IT!!!!! Not only do I feel strong and fit, but I have discovered a few meditative practices that have been life changing. Yoga has taught me to be more aware and present in the moment which is basically the idea of being mindful.
My Second Revelation looked like this...
While driving in my car, I heard the most inspiring Ted Talk on NPR about the idea of being present from Abha Dawesar "Life in the Digital Now." PLEASE take time to listen... https://www.ted.com/talks/abha_dawesar_life_in_the_digital_n I think Abha Dawesar sums up the idea of mindfulness best when she says, "We owe the present moment our full attention." She also equates attention to love. I know for me this rings true as I feel deeply loved when people pay positive attention to me and are present with me in the moment.
My Third Revelation looked like this...
Shortly after I started yoga, I was invited by a friend and neighbor to join a "Mindfulness Group" on Monday mornings. We gather together to do some mindfulness practices which is pretty much meditation. We are intentional about being present with ourselves and one another. Sounds weird... but it's actually pretty awesome.
When a similar theme continues to pop up in my life in various places I take that as God's way of trying to tell me something. So this is my attempt to listen.
What does mindfulness look like and how does it apply to Lent?
I am still figuring that out. Other than meditation, I continue to experience mindfulness happening through out my day as I seek to be intentional about living in the present moment. For example; a little bit ago I walked to a coffee shop with my daughter and purchased some chai tea. Normally, I might sit and tinker on my phone or race off to the next activity. But that day, I sat down at the coffee shop and simply focused on breathing. I then switched my focus on how my chai tasted and how it felt going into my body. When my daughter sought my attention I noticed her beauty inside and out. I took time to simply sit, be, and observe what was going on around me. This sounds so simple and yet for the first time in a long time I felt AWAKE! The more I practiced being present in the moment, the more awake and aware I become of my surroundings. The more aware I am, the more I am able to see through God's eyes and hear what God wants to say.
Whether you are a Christian or not, I invite you to participate in the act of being present and mindful for the 40 days of Lent with me. I am going to attempt to spend time being mindful every day for 40 days and then I will post on social media ways I sought to be mindful for that day. I am going to hashtag it #Mindfulness4Lent. Feel free to join me if you don't already have a practice for Lent. I would love to hear about your experiences!
My prayer is that you will find a sense of peace and tranquility during your practice of mindfulness. Make it what works for you!
If you would like some more structured ideas try the list of the following below...
Day 1: Go for a walk and attempt to be aware of your surroundings
Day 2: Sit and focus on breathing in and out for a five minutes of your day.
Day 3: Whatever your morning drink of choice is, take a moment to reflect about that drink taste with every sip you take.
Day 4: While eating a meal, try to think about nothing else except how the food tastes.
Day 5: While showering think about how the water feels on your skin.
Day 6: Choose a person to focus on who you spend a lot of time with. Practice good eye contact with that person and be aware of who they are and how they feel.
Day 7: Sit outside and think about how the outdoor air as you breathe in and out.
Day 8: Smell a flower or herbs for a few moments and just be mindful of how it smells and how it makes you feel.
Day 9: Do some yoga or spend a few minutes just stretching your body and think about how it feels.
Day 10: Listen to a song and be aware of the sounds the instruments and vocalists are playing.
Day 11: Just sit some place quiet and reflect on how you feel.
Day 12: While driving your car focus on your breathing and your surroundings without the radio on.
Day 13: Go to a restaurant/coffee shop and instead of looking at technology simply just spend time being aware of others in and out of the restaurant.
Day 14: Practice breathing in and out while listening to wind chimes or bells
Day 15: Color or draw something.
Day 16: If it's sunny, take a moment to sit in the sunshine and breathe. If it's not, find a heating pad or a blanket and think about how the warmth makes you feel.
Day 17: Play an instrument or sing a song attempting to completely focus on being in the moment while playing music.
Day 18: Give another human your full attention and put down your phone.
Day 19: Put down your phone and actually talk or reach out to someone you don't know.
Day 20: Cook or prepare some food focusing on gratitude to nourish yourself and others.
Day 21: Be mindful of areas in your life you are wasteful and think of ways to eliminate waste.
Day 22: Be mindful of what makes you angry or sad and spend time just feeling those emotions.
Day 23: Write a letter of gratitude to someone in your community making a difference.
Day 24: Give food or money to someone in need and be mindful of ways to bless others.
Day 25: Do something you love and invite someone to join you.
Day 26: Write a poem about what you are thinking or feeling.
Day 27: Practice exhaling negative thoughts and inhaling positive ones.
Day 28: Read a psalm in the Bible (or other inspirational text) and think about how it makes you feel.
Day 29: Play a sport or a game and try to put 100% complete focus on that game or activity.
Day 30: Lay flat on your back with palms up in the air and simply breathe in and out.
Day 31: Do a few planks and/or pushups and think about what makes you strong.
Day 32: Eat a favorite dessert with your eyes closed reflecting on how good it taste.
Day 33: Listen to someone fully engaging in their story without thinking about yourself.
Day 34: Do some yoga poses outside.
Day 35: Go to the grocery store and be aware of all the different food in it's availability.
Every year I use Lent as a time to practice some type of discipline in my life. Usually, I spend a month before Lent praying and asking God to fill my thoughts with a specific theme to focus on. Every year, God makes it pretty obvious what I am supposed to to do. For example, last year I used it as a time to practice vulnerability which involved a social media challenge #Vulnerability4Lent http://samtidball.blogspot.com/2016/04/what-i-learned-from-40-days-of.html.
So I asked God to put a theme on my heart once again. I noticed that God likes to speak to me in threes. Here's what I mean...
My First Revelation looked like this... A month ago while my husband was out of town, I randomly tried Yoga. I tried it once years ago and literally fell over laughing because I thought it was so ridiculous and just "not my thing." However, I gave it another try and this time I LOVED IT!!!!! Not only do I feel strong and fit, but I have discovered a few meditative practices that have been life changing. Yoga has taught me to be more aware and present in the moment which is basically the idea of being mindful.
My Second Revelation looked like this...
While driving in my car, I heard the most inspiring Ted Talk on NPR about the idea of being present from Abha Dawesar "Life in the Digital Now." PLEASE take time to listen... https://www.ted.com/talks/abha_dawesar_life_in_the_digital_n I think Abha Dawesar sums up the idea of mindfulness best when she says, "We owe the present moment our full attention." She also equates attention to love. I know for me this rings true as I feel deeply loved when people pay positive attention to me and are present with me in the moment.
My Third Revelation looked like this...
Shortly after I started yoga, I was invited by a friend and neighbor to join a "Mindfulness Group" on Monday mornings. We gather together to do some mindfulness practices which is pretty much meditation. We are intentional about being present with ourselves and one another. Sounds weird... but it's actually pretty awesome.
When a similar theme continues to pop up in my life in various places I take that as God's way of trying to tell me something. So this is my attempt to listen.
What does mindfulness look like and how does it apply to Lent?
I am still figuring that out. Other than meditation, I continue to experience mindfulness happening through out my day as I seek to be intentional about living in the present moment. For example; a little bit ago I walked to a coffee shop with my daughter and purchased some chai tea. Normally, I might sit and tinker on my phone or race off to the next activity. But that day, I sat down at the coffee shop and simply focused on breathing. I then switched my focus on how my chai tasted and how it felt going into my body. When my daughter sought my attention I noticed her beauty inside and out. I took time to simply sit, be, and observe what was going on around me. This sounds so simple and yet for the first time in a long time I felt AWAKE! The more I practiced being present in the moment, the more awake and aware I become of my surroundings. The more aware I am, the more I am able to see through God's eyes and hear what God wants to say.
Whether you are a Christian or not, I invite you to participate in the act of being present and mindful for the 40 days of Lent with me. I am going to attempt to spend time being mindful every day for 40 days and then I will post on social media ways I sought to be mindful for that day. I am going to hashtag it #Mindfulness4Lent. Feel free to join me if you don't already have a practice for Lent. I would love to hear about your experiences!My prayer is that you will find a sense of peace and tranquility during your practice of mindfulness. Make it what works for you!
If you would like some more structured ideas try the list of the following below...
Day 1: Go for a walk and attempt to be aware of your surroundings
Day 2: Sit and focus on breathing in and out for a five minutes of your day.
Day 3: Whatever your morning drink of choice is, take a moment to reflect about that drink taste with every sip you take.
Day 4: While eating a meal, try to think about nothing else except how the food tastes.
Day 5: While showering think about how the water feels on your skin.
Day 6: Choose a person to focus on who you spend a lot of time with. Practice good eye contact with that person and be aware of who they are and how they feel.
Day 7: Sit outside and think about how the outdoor air as you breathe in and out.
Day 8: Smell a flower or herbs for a few moments and just be mindful of how it smells and how it makes you feel.
Day 9: Do some yoga or spend a few minutes just stretching your body and think about how it feels.
Day 10: Listen to a song and be aware of the sounds the instruments and vocalists are playing.
Day 11: Just sit some place quiet and reflect on how you feel.
Day 12: While driving your car focus on your breathing and your surroundings without the radio on.
Day 13: Go to a restaurant/coffee shop and instead of looking at technology simply just spend time being aware of others in and out of the restaurant.
Day 14: Practice breathing in and out while listening to wind chimes or bells
Day 15: Color or draw something.
Day 16: If it's sunny, take a moment to sit in the sunshine and breathe. If it's not, find a heating pad or a blanket and think about how the warmth makes you feel.
Day 17: Play an instrument or sing a song attempting to completely focus on being in the moment while playing music.
Day 18: Give another human your full attention and put down your phone.
Day 19: Put down your phone and actually talk or reach out to someone you don't know.
Day 20: Cook or prepare some food focusing on gratitude to nourish yourself and others.
Day 21: Be mindful of areas in your life you are wasteful and think of ways to eliminate waste.
Day 22: Be mindful of what makes you angry or sad and spend time just feeling those emotions.
Day 23: Write a letter of gratitude to someone in your community making a difference.
Day 24: Give food or money to someone in need and be mindful of ways to bless others.
Day 25: Do something you love and invite someone to join you.
Day 26: Write a poem about what you are thinking or feeling.
Day 27: Practice exhaling negative thoughts and inhaling positive ones.
Day 28: Read a psalm in the Bible (or other inspirational text) and think about how it makes you feel.
Day 29: Play a sport or a game and try to put 100% complete focus on that game or activity.
Day 30: Lay flat on your back with palms up in the air and simply breathe in and out.
Day 31: Do a few planks and/or pushups and think about what makes you strong.
Day 32: Eat a favorite dessert with your eyes closed reflecting on how good it taste.
Day 33: Listen to someone fully engaging in their story without thinking about yourself.
Day 34: Do some yoga poses outside.
Day 35: Go to the grocery store and be aware of all the different food in it's availability.
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