Finding Your Mindfulness Bells
One of the meanings of sati, the Pali word usually translated as “mindfulness”, is to remember. With a little practice, it’s not hard to learn how to concentrate and focus your awareness. The big challenge is remembering to do it. We forget even when we’re sitting on a cushion for the express purpose of meditating! Remembering to be mindful is even more challenging as we go through our daily lives, especially at those times we’d most like to be centered and reactivity-free, such as when conflict, strong emotions or cravings beset us.
My MBSR sangha was recently sharing the ways in which we observe mindfulness playing itself out in informal situations. It was interesting to hear all of the many ways that people bring mindfulness to bear when they’re “off the cushion”, even when the habit of mindlessness can be most tempting. One thing I noticed is that these mindfulness strategies often consist of situations in which triggers of various kinds set off an impulse to drop in, to breathe intentionally, to pay attention carefully. Just as the tone of the tingsha or singing bowl can wake us up and remind us to bring our minds back to the present moment, these triggers can serve as our “mindfulness bells” as we go through our daily routine.
This Sunday, July 27, 2014, Practice Circle will spend some time sharing our own strategies for remembering to be mindful. I thought I’d prime the pump a little bit by sharing these examples. I will be eager to hear yours!
You can use feelings of stress or strong emotion as your mindfulness bell. When you feel the emotions come on, pause to take a mindful breath and notice the weight of your body on your feet or against your chair. Notice where the sensations of stress or emotion are registering in your body. No need to judge, suppress or control what’s going on — just see if you can notice it as it’s happening.
When you’re standing in line or waiting for the microwave to finish, notice the sensation of your body standing. How is your weight distributed? Are you relaxed or stiff? Balanced or leaning? Just notice how things are. Then you might want to experiment with settling your weight evenly on all four corners of your feet, or balancing on one foot, and then the other. How does the body feel?
Thich Nhat Hanh advises his students, whenever they hear the phone ring, to pause and take three mindful breaths before answering. You could do the same with any of the electronic signals we hear throughout the day.
When you answer that phone, practice mindful listening. Let the mind settle on the voice and the words. Be mindful of thoughts and emotions that arise.
Whenever a conversation turns “serious”, use the breath and body awareness to drop into the moment. As best you can, bring your awareness to the other person, not only the words they say but their tone of voice, body language, facial expressions, and so on.
Try eating one meal a day mindfully. Drop in. What does the food in front of you really look like, smell like? What feeling tones do you notice? Can you be aware of your intention to pick up your spoon or fork before you do it? Can you train your awareness on each bite of food from beginning, to middle, to the last swallow and the aftertaste? Be aware of the rush to take the next bite. Set your fork down between mouthfuls. After the meal, how does your body feel?
When you feel a pleasurable or joyful emotion, drop in. Breathe into it, savor it. Notice where in the body it manifests, what it really feels like, how it changes as you observe it. With each breath, imagine you can kindle and grow that wholesome feeling, just as if you were blowing on a hot coal.
This is especially good to do when feelings of kindness and compassion spontaneously arise. Notice them, breathe into them. Offer a metta phrase as a way of extending the feeling to whomever you’re feeling it for.
Whenever you encounter an ambulance or approach the scene of an accident, silently repeat the phrase, “May all beings be safe.” What happens?
Cravings are also great mindfulness bells. When you feel the urge for a treat, a drink, a cigarette, stop for a moment and drop in before you indulge. Approach the craving with friendly attention, as you would a child who’s begging for a cookie. What’s going on here? Are the feelings pleasant, unpleasant, neutral? Are there thoughts that arise with the cravings?
Can you pause an instant to be mindful just before you tell a joke or make a humorous remark? What’s your intention?
If, like me, you are easily roused to anger while driving in traffic, is it possible to let your yelling wake you up? Again, not to judge, just to notice how that anger feels. What story is it telling about the other driver, and about you?
When you lay down to go to sleep, start with a quick body scan, especially of any places that feel tight or uncomfortable. Invite each of them to soften and relax.
When you perform any physical task — walking, exercising, doing chores, whatever — notice how your body feels as it moves. Notice especially how much energy you are expending, and see if it’s possible to perform the task with as little effort as possible.
Notice the transitions that occur throughout the day. When you’re finished working and prepare to leave for home. When you settle down to eat. When you sit down to read or watch TV, and when you transition to the next task afterward. Usually we speed through these moments without even noticing them — can we make them mindfulness bells instead?
As you can tell, the possibilities for these kinds of mindfulness bells are endless. There’s no need to try to do a lot of them — pick one or two that appeal to you, and see if you can be conscious over the next few days of how often that bell chimes in your experience. Or you might pick an area that’s of special concern in your practice, and see if there are any mindfulness bells that might be present there. You might find that it’s easier than you think for that bell to help you remember to remember to bring body and mind together in the only moment you will ever live, right now.