Meditation Basics: Present Moment Awareness
Today is the third and final episode in our meditation basics series and Kevin Janks is back for one final, insightful meditation mini-workshop.
In this episode he explores a technique I was first introduced to by my psychiatrist, in what proved to be a precursor to my mindfulness practices, my meditation or even my simplifying efforts. Simply put, she encouraged me to pay attention to everything the present moment has on offer - but to do that by tapping in to one sense at a time.
When I found myself feeling overwhelmed I would move through each sense - sight, sound, taste, touch and smell - one at a time, exploring everything it had to offer before focusing on the next. And what I learned through that practice is that paying close attention to our senses is to be only in the moment. It helped to transport me away from the headspace of worry or regret or stress or anxiety and only be in the moment of my senses. When I was overwhelmed it proved to be a steadying point for me, and as I began to explore meditation and mindfulness over the years, I realised that this very simple practise was a strong, if unintentional, foundation in my own efforts to live in the moment.
In today’s workshop Kevin talks us through the following ideas and then leads you through a brief guided meditation where you’ll have the opportunity to practice what you’ve learnt:
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- This practise is all about being in the moment, simply because our senses are only ever in the moment (you can't be touching something yesterday).
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- By noticing what’s actually happening in our lives right now, we can liberate ourselves from the state of constant 'rehearse and replay' that at times dominates our lives.
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- With practice, it quickly becomes quite easy to draw joy and love from even the most basic of events, like feeling the sun against your skin or observing a bird flying through the sky.
- Take time each day to simply observe your senses. Noticing sights and sounds are great to do whilst walking or commuting. Really observe the tastes of the food you are eating and begin exploring the depth of senses that surround us at any given time.
I’d also really encourage you to try this technique at least once every day for the next week and see if it has any impact on your ability to live in the moment, or your well being in general. It’s such a simple, powerful, accessible strategy and I’d love to hear if it has an impact.
Enjoy today’s final workshop from Kevin, and if you’d like to download the meditation-only playlist from the last three weeks you can download it here and listen any time you’d like!
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Or you can listen to the show directly, simply by hitting the Play button above. Enjoy!
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