Distractions

"The sights and sounds of the world are not our enemies. They don't have to be perceived as distractions. They can be part of the field of your awareness, or like birdsong in the background. Distraction only comes with forgetfulness, the absence of mindfulness"

Thich Nhat Hanh; "Making Space: Creating a Home Meditation Practice"

Stopping, calming, looking deeply

"Everything we see and experience is coloured by our perceptions. Many of the perceptions we have about ourselves  and about others are wrong perceptions. With stopping, calming, and looking deeply, we can break through our preconceived ideas 

Thich Nhat Hanh; "Making Space: Creating a Home Meditation Practice"

Words to describe the Mindful experience

Focus
Awareness (Be aware)
Experience
Curiosity (Be curious)
Notice
Pay attention
Sense
Feel
Watch
Experiment

Be 100% in the moment

You have too many minds...

In the film "The Last Samurai" Capt Nathan Algren is taken captive by the Samurai to their village. Over time Algren becomes interested in learning the new ways of his hosts. As a soldier he is particularly taken by the samurai skill with swords. He sets out to learn these skills under the supervision of Ujio, who detests Algren and constantly humiliates him by making him look inadequate during training. 

During one of these encounters, Nobutada, a friend of Algren's, calls Algren aside and gently tells him "you have too many minds. You have a mind for those looking, you have a mind for Ujio, you have too many minds."

In fact Nobutada was telling Algren to be present 100% to what he was doing in that moment, forget everything else. NOW is the time!

Mindful Presence Training

The Experience of Being Present

As i walked along the seafront in Bray, my mind was absorbed in worries about the future. I may as well have been in a coal bunker.

I decided to be present, to be in the moment, to be where I really was in that moment, walking along the seafront in Bray.

The sea has so many different colours and the slight haze gives distant Howth a mystical appearance. Silence has a sound, a vibe of it's own. Little birds flit in and out of the green bushes. Even at this early stage there is a faint whiff of seaweed. Children shriek with happiness, jumping over the waves. It is so good and energizing to be here!

The Breath

Learning to return to the breath in difficult situations is the key to being present in difficult moments.

Practice focusing on the breath in moments of stillness, just allow yourself be aware of your breathing (without effort), just watch it and if you become distracted, acknowledge the distraction and gently return to watching the breath