My first meditation teacher asked, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a tiny assistant sitting on our shoulders to remind us to be mindful; for example, “you might not want to say that,” “hey, you’re having a rough day, watch out,” “you’re going too fast, slow down.” We all laughed. He then said that mindfulness is that reminder.
My wife told me that she had found such a mindfulness assistant in a gift shop. I now give these little dolls out as presents. You can find them online by Googling Laughing Doll Happy Pill.
Daily practices to help us Remember
Under the RESOURCES tab on my website, you can find 24 Strategies for Mindfulness During the Day. This includes practices that I and participants in my courses have found useful. I will comment on a few below.
Change your password on your computer to, for example, “Remember” or “Kindness”. My favorite password brought me back to Yogi Bear cartoons when I was young: Yogibooboo22! Sometimes I was rushed or frustrated when I began typing the password, but while typing it I couldn’t help but smile and even giggle.
In one of my courses, one person found that she was carrying home the stress of her job. So after she pulled into her garage, she turned off the key and simply breathed for a couple minutes. When telling us this practice, she laughed and said that it took a couple weeks for her husband to notice: “I hear the garage door open but you don’t come inside for several minutes. What’s going on.” Her response: “Give me that two minutes and you’ll be happy for it!”
Many people use tangible mindfulness reminders: a small stone in their pocket that might have a helpful word on it; pictures of nature or of loved ones on their bulletin board.
Try One for a Week
I need to elaborate on one aspect of these practices that makes them more powerful.
At the beginning of the 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses participants are asked to bring mindful awareness to something they do every day that has a physical component, that is, not just thinking. For example, mindfulness when you are showering, brushing your teeth, brushing your hair, getting dressed, walking from your bedroom into the kitchen, the morning cup or coffee/tea ritual.
One of the keys to the success of this practice is that it can be something you already do, so it’s not something you have to make time to do.
A short poem by Mark Nepo points to the power of this practice:
When courageous enough to relax our soul open,
the pace at which our mind thinks slows to the pace
at which our heart feels, and, amazingly, together
they unfold the rhythm with which our eyes
can see the miracle waiting in all that is ordinary.
From The Book of Awakening, pp. 338-339
A key is that when we savor the present moment, something magic happens.
Comments from others about the Value of this Practice
Below are some comments from participants in my courses about the power of this simple practice.
By becoming more aware of what I do I am more capable of changing my attitude and the course of my day
Doing this every day caused me to slow down and become more aware, more present
It enabled me to start my day with warmth and quiet
This exercise made it easier to slip into mindfulness ‘states of mind’ during the day.
I brought specific focus to every aspect of the routine of my morning coffee. I smelled the grounds, listened to the sound of the dripping water, felt the warmth of the mug in my hands, and savored the taste of the coffee. I realized that focusing on one task and being curious about every aspect of it is inherently calming.
Mindfulness reminders Everywhere
Over time, we find there are actually reminders for mindfulness almost everywhere, that can make us laugh and pause:
A mural on a wall
A tree or a flower
Clouds in the sky
A sign in front of a business: “Why is abbreviate such a long word?”
Someone smiling
So try bringing mindfulness to some daily activity for a week and/or one of the 24 Strategies. What do you notice? If you are willing, share a practice that you find useful.