Pic of the Week: Pumpkin, our cat

THE MINDFUL GALLERY'S PIC OF THE WEEK

Mindfulness in the eyes of Pumpkin

The mindful anchor in this photo: The cutest face I see nearly every day! Pumpkin, our cat.

(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness it is all about having an anchor, noticing when we stray from it, coming back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace)     

And Now…onto Pumpkin (and pets in general)

Pets have a fantastic way of bringing your focus to them. Have you ever noticed that when you come home and see your pets, hardly any other thoughts bust in take you away from those few moments? I mean, LOOK at that face!! Animals are very good at being present, and they are great teachers for us. There is a great graphic novel called Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle that is a simply told story about how are pets help us be mindful. So the next time your with your pet or another's, take note of how you feel when you're with them and relish those moments with gratitude.

The Body Scan: What do helium balloons have to do with it?

When learning about mindfulness, one of the first things you come across is the body scan, not to be confused with muscle relaxation. While relaxation is inevitable with the body scan, its primary point is to bring awareness to body, body part by body part. Some scans are three minutes, others are 40 minutes or longer depending on how part-icular you get  (see what I did there:). Here is a link to a twenty minute scan that I really like because it also includes gratitude.

Kernal of Wisdom Mindfulness Meditation

I'm guessing that most of us, though I can really only speak for myself and others I've sat with during meditation, spend a lot of time during the day out of our body. No, not in an astral out of body experience kind of way, but rather running around in our mind either in the past or present. If you imagine that your head is like a helium balloon that goes higher and higher throughout the day, you can either choose to bring it back down to the ground and anchor it, or it will just lose helium and sink to the earth looking very sad as it whimpers down a side street or gets caught in a tree. Have you ever just felt as though you were so emotionally and/or mentally stressed that your body also felt like a sad, whimpering balloon with no air left? If you want to be the balloon that stays anchored to the party table with a flashy little anchor weight to stay grounded, then give this body scan a whirl. Do it once and you'll think "ok, that was nice", do it twice and think "wow I never noticed how tight my hamstrings are, I better stretch!", do it three times and you start to recognize that you don't swear as much in the car anymore, do it at least four times a week and you'll change your body, your mind, and your life to some degree. Insight is key, and every mindfulness practice gives you more than your thoughts alone can.

Pic of the Week: The mighty, mindful Niagara

The Mindful Gallery's Pic of the Week

 

"The Mighty, Mindful Niagara"

The mindful anchor in this photo: You guessed it! The Niagara Falls.

(What is a mindful anchor? When we practice mindfulness it is all about having an anchor, noticing when we stray from it, coming back to it, and doing so over and over again. This is oftentimes the breath in sitting meditation, but it can be nearly any point of focus that allows us to find stillness and peace)     

And Now….About the Mighty, Mindful Niagara

Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? Most of the time the answer I get to that question is, "Yes, but a very long time ago!". I've been there several times this past year in preparation for my wedding. The longer I spent there, the more I realized it to be a display of the relationship between chaos and peace, and how mindfulness is a bridge between both.  As you face the Falls they grab your attention like a hot torch (only not painful!). The roaring waterfall produces misty clouds and often rainbows. Across the street are towering hotels, casinos, numerous fast food joints and a museum for just about any silly thing you can think of. One side is chaotic, and the other, peaceful. While there is plenty in Niagara Falls to distract from the actual Falls themselves, they remain THE focal point. They will draw you in no matter what. So if you’re looking for a mindful vacation destination, you’ve got a great one here! And be sure to drop by Journey Behind The Falls, where this photo was taken. It’s quite breathtaking.