Mindfulness

Every morning when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand new hours to live.
What a precious gift...........writes Thich nhat Hanh a Zen master, poet, and peace and human rights activist,

This morning Bill and I ventured down to our Village Hall for our first experience of a sangha. Our dear friends and neighbours Maggie and Hugh have started a meditation group or 'sangha'. We were introduced to the practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. We bring our body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car or take our morning shower. It is easy to say and write about but near impossible to do..............my mind wanders continually.

I realise how much I need to be 'on the move' and how hard it is to be still and at peace with myself. Safe in this small group of people, we practised sitting and walking meditations and ended with a shared lunch.

We both enjoyed the experience and felt completely at ease at having given ourselves permission to relax and do something for ourselves instead of rushing around with our usual long to -do -list!

Mindfulness rocks!!!