The Art of Mindful Living

Suzanne chiming in!  I’m late for my posting today (and no, I wasn’t playing hooky.) I’ve been in the kitchen working on my fall harvest preserving. I’ve gotten a couple of bushels of wonderful organic roma tomatoes and am working feverishly to dehydrate them and put them in the freezer. Wow the time has really gotten away from me. I got to thinking – as I had lots of time for it today – that this kind of work is like a meditation…  

My busy hands were keeping my mind clear, as there was just enough repetitive activity to keep my attention on one thing.  Then magic happened. I started to meditate. As Thich Nhat Hanh from Plum Village always teaches, I was working mindfully today! In a book I read by Thich Nhat Hanh he tells a story about doing the dishes and only keeping your mind on the dishes.  If we can live our lives in a mindful way and reduce our daily stresses, our health and quality of life would be greatly improved.  We can’t ignore our responsibilities, but we can work at them mindfully. I got a whole lot done!

It’s just like a story that was told to me on the weekend.  They were talking about how Gandhi use to spin lamb hair into wool when he wanted to clear his mind. 

So maybe this busy hands meditation will work for you. 

Keep your hands busy and you to will feel the magic too.

Peace,

Suzanne Frenette, Colon Therapist and Thai Yoga Massage Therapist