So, I realized today, that I was slipping, that my mind was beginning to be more distracted than aware. Let me share my story of my little mindful alarm 😉🙏
My little black butterball cat. She won’t have it! She notices, and she packs a little punch as she stomps around the room with her tiny stumpy legs, stops right beside me, or directly in front of me, and basically barks a loud expressive “HEY”. Which means, a crackly screechy sound, made it out of her body. Where she normally opens her mouth with a “meah” sound, that barely breaks the waves of air, because she has practically no voice, and its totally adorable. But she manages to yell, everyone notices! 🙂
Any way, this little girl is an old soul, she just knows stuff. I swear she can smell it in the air when I decide to meditate, because she comes running from the deepest cocoon sleeps to join me, every single time. She stares at you like she is reading your soul, and she wakes from those slumber sleeps to “meah” you when you happen to be staring at her from across the room.
She is totally right to give me wallop, as I have been busy lately, and barely taking the time to meditate, or at least breath , let go and focus. I call that ‘stop, look & listen”. Funny, it must be the build up of tension spreading into the air that she taps into, because with out a doubt, every single time I fall of the mindful path she shoves me right back on it! Love her to pieces for that!
So, for the rest of you who slip off, meander off the mindful path every once and a while. Here are a couple of easy-peasy ways to cram in a minute or two, of mindfulness. You may already know this, let me be your mindful alarm and simply remind you.
- Start the day: take two minutes upon waking to just breath and notice your thoughts, as they pop up, let them go and return your awareness back to breathing.
- Before starting work: at your desk or in your car take two to five minutes to sit still and focus on your breathing
- After work: When you enter your car pause sit straight breathe deeply for one or two minutes let go of any tension or resistance in the body, choose to let go of the day with every breath
- In the middle of the day: anywhere: stop stare outside, just watch things move, whether it is trees, cars, people or ? breathe and just notice yourself breathing
- Before starting your dinner: take a minute or two to just sit there and breathe let everything go , intend to enjoy the flavor’s of your meal
- Before going to sleep: take a minute or two breathe deeply, let go of the entire day, intend to sleep soundly.
Yes I coach awareness, mindfulness and I slip too. That is OK, simply because it is part of being human. We slip, we fall, we can get right back up!
Take care!
Warmly, Jo