Just Sit Still, Already

“I like to think of mindfulness simply as the art of conscious living. You don’t have to be a Buddhist or a yogi to practice it… It is simply a practical way to be more in touch with the fullness of your being through a systematic process of self-observation, self-inquiry, and mindful action.”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Professor emeritus of medicine University of Massachusetts Medical School

Sometimes, just sitting and doing nothing is the most effective use of our time.

I've espoused the benefits of a boredom practice many times.

To me, a boredom practice can be helpful to chase down those loose end thoughts you've got bouncing around your head, following the threads to whatever other ideas may come. Creative insights, aha moments, or stillness are all worthwhile outcomes.

The goal is to stare out the window and let the mind do it's thing. No effort, no control, no goals. Just the mind running wild.

Mindfulness meditation is something a bit different.

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation.

For some, they'll dip into mindfulness during a boredom session. Sometimes my mind is calm, other times it's actively connecting dots and coming up with new ideas.

Mindfulness is extremely important in the modern age. We're so overwhelmed with communication, technology, and mental stimulation that we often lose track of the present moment.

The studied benefits of meditation are building:

• Improved immune system and?inflammatory processes
• Improved diabetes, hypertension, and fibromyalgia
• Decrease blood cholesterol levels and increase high density lipoproteins
• Improved systolic and diastolic blood pressure
• Helps with social anxiety, depressions, and PTSD

Here's a basic practice to get started.

1. Sit somewhere comfortable, ideally in an upright posture
2. Set a timer on your phone for 5 minutes
3. With hands on your lap, relax your face and shoulders
4. Take a slow inhale through the nose, pause, and slowly exhale through the mouth
5. Begin to concentrate your focus on the tip of your nose, feeling the sensation of air moving in and out
6. Pay attention to your chest rising and falling
7. Count each in breath as 1, each out as 2 - continue to 10
8. When your mind wanders, gently guide it back to the breath - no judgment necessary
9. Continue until the timer goes off

It's important to understand that the wandering mind is a part of the process for everyone - even the most seasoned meditators regularly experience this.

Learning to feel the mind wander and guide it back to the breath IS the practice. If you're doing that, you're training your mind successfully and getting the benefits of the practice.

Like anything, it takes time to build an effective routine. Yes, you'll fall off the wagon sometimes. Just pick it back up whenever you can.

Do you feel like you're moving through life too quickly and missing out on the good stuff?

Maybe it's time to slow down a bit, sit still, and let the mind guide you for a bit instead of dragging it around all day.

Here's a quick video of John taking us through a 5 minute practice

Happy sitting,

Geoff