Zen and an Americano

Zen and an Americano?

What is your Zen moment? And I don’t necessarily mean something you experience when you’re sitting on a mat wearing yoga pants with soft meditation music in the background. That might be an ideal setting to experience Zen, but your personal moment can be just anywhere. On the treadmill, while baking, while grooming your pet or even when digging into a sinful chocolate pastry.

With our kind of busy schedules, a Zen moment can just mean a small slice of time when we are able to separate ourselves from work, from anxieties and worries, and just be at peace — both in the mind and body.?

Your Zen moment is what works for you. For your friend it could be meditation, for your neighbor it’s going to a quiet spot in their house, for your mom it could be looking at your childhood photos, and for you it could mean the joy on your dog’s face when you come home. You must find what’s yours, and once you have that you can use it every time you need to help yourself out of a feeling, situation, or challenge.

For me, personally, my Zen moment is when I’m sipping a Starbucks Americano after my ritualistic morning workout. Even if for just a few minutes, everything becomes crystal clear. And that’s part of the beauty of a Zen moment, isn’t it? That five-minute clarity in your thoughts before the worries of the world come pouring back in. Imagine if we could hold onto that clarity and expand it into something larger that could ignite wondrous changes in our lives, our work.

I live in a high rise amid a bustling city, which aptly reflects the pace of my life. Work follows me home and sometimes life feels like traveling non-stop at 100 kmph. So, when I bring the hot, bitter coffee to my lips, I’m able to push away the million things I need to do. I stare blankly in gratitude and find stillness, bringing my racing mind to a standstill. And when I am done, I am at one with myself, calmed from whatever I was weighted with, quite often with stark clarity on how I can better apply myself to pending tasks.?

While it may seem like a Zen moment takes you away from the world, it actually allows you to take a view from the outside and think of solutions. Your thoughts fall into a silent pause, and you can take decisions not based on emotions. There are so many ways you can begin. Take a walk and let your mind wander freely. Affirm the things in life you are thankful for. Find time to write a journal. And most of all, learn to forgive yourself. And if coffee means work for you, then drink tea to calm yourself.

I enjoyed sharing my experience and hope you find your own Zen moment. I promise you, you will feel unstoppable once you are able to find it.?It just takes a few minutes and is something I recommend everyone develop a habit for…a simple goal of being present each day.