Maria Arpa
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness Moments
The past four months have rolled by at an alarming pace and I’d like to share a few thoughts on my observations. I know that I’m not alone in thinking that our modern world of convenience is having the opposite effect on societies ability to communicate effectively. Technology is developing at a rate which is impossible for the average soul to keep up with. Conversations are replaced with texts. Faded photographs which conjured up happy memories and stories are digitally uploaded and forgotten about. And the news, which should bring us a balanced view on the world at large, is presented as a fast-paced show where we are bombarded by endless updates of the same news stories which seem to gain new and uninteresting layers of sensationalism. Do you remember, back in the day when households up and down the UK would come to a halt for the Six and the Ten O’Clock News?
Today is a different story and while I know that progress is important, it’s clear that every new piece of communication technology brings with it another distraction. Have you found yourself looking online for the weather report and thirty minutes later you are invested in some random story that will not make one difference to improving your day?
BEING PRESENT.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool which enables the practitioner to develop concentration skills. A good counterbalance to the newest gadget which is designed to shorten it.
There are many ways to begin a mindfulness practice.just making time to sit and breathe for a few minutes on a regular basis will nourish your body. For example, here’s a short exercise that may help you to declutter your mind before you start your next task.
THE BREATH AND THE BUBBLE.
Sit comfortably, hands on your lap. Breathe into your belly.Think of an image or a word that inspires you. Place it in a bubble and let the bubble float. Allow the image, or the inspiring word to rotate inside the bubble. Look at it from all directions and breathe. Do this for 3-5 minutes. It’s a very simple way of reconnecting you with your breath. The meditation can be developed further. The image or the word is replaced with a something that you want to address. Put it in the bubble and observe it without judgement and let it float a while before you begin to tackle it.
With love, light and gratitude. Maria Arpa -x-
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