Do you ever feel life is just a race to the finish? Instead of savoring and soaking up every precious moment, reaping the benefits of mindfulness and yoga, we spend most of our time firefighting. We lurch from one worry to the next instead of learning how to enjoy life.
Mindfulness is a way of taking back control. Relearning how to be more positive about life. Enjoying those small moments. Taking time for self care.
A few days ago I was enjoying my favorite local walk. It’s the short walk I head for when I’ve been blogging all day and have barely left my desk. My “I must at least get some exercise” kind of walk.
On this day the wind was starting to blow. Crossing onto the moorland section of the walk, (where the sweeping visage of the Cheviots opens out before me), I noticed a tiny field mouse in my path.
The mouse didn’t see me. The noise of the wind must have stopped him from hearing me approach. I stood quite still and this tiny creature trustingly hopped towards me taking its time. The mouse casually walked right through my legs and sniffed at my shoes before finally disappearing into the heather.
It was one of those moments where the world stops. Where the frantic pace of life, all those worries and concerns are expelled from your mind completely. I was 100% in the here and now.
Benefits Of Mindfulness Infographic
This infographic based on medical research sums up some of the benefits of mindfulness. I like to think of it as a way of resetting my brain.
Mindfulness is far from being a new concept and it isn’t just linked to Buddism. Welsh poet W. H. Davis expressed concerns about the hectic pace of modern life as long ago as 1911.
I find it easier to meditate first thing in the morning. It’s worth it getting up a little earlier when the house is quiet and makes me much more focused for the day ahead. Right now it’s time for me to take a break and soak up a little bit of this wonderful world we live in…