Day 5: Simple Techniques For Becoming More Aware
- Start being aware of those moments when you are not centred and immediately become centred again. The symptoms of not being centred are mental restlessness, distraction, fatigue, low energy, irritability, and the vague sense that ‘I’m not myself today.’ When you notice any of these signs, take a moment by yourself in a quiet place and take 10 deep breaths. The breath is the most intimate function that keeps mind and body in sync, and with these deep breaths, you bring your mind back into harmony with your body. Every cell in your body already lives in the present moment.
- A second technique also takes advantage of the fact that your body only lives in the present. Sit quietly for a few moments and gently follow the in and out of your breathing. Put your attention on your heart, and let it rest there while you follow your breath. Although you may experience the result as greater peace and calm inside, at the same time you are harmonising your mind with your body’s natural rhythms, which are in the present.
- The regular practice of meditation clears the mind of its restlessness and need for distraction, so to follow a regular meditation routine. By its very nature, the mind is in the present. We pull it away with all kinds of needless activity, thanks to old conditioning.
